Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a disease, which was discovered in 1908, caused by the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. T. gondii infects neuronal, glial, and muscle cells, and chronic infections are characterized by the presence of cysts, in the brain and muscle cells, formed by bradyzoites. T. gondii is capable of synthesizing L-DOPA, a precursor of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is key in the etiology of neuropsychological disorders such as schizophrenia. Previous studies have shown high levels of IgG Toxoplasma antibodies in schizophrenia patients. Many published studies show that the prevalence of toxoplasmosis is higher in schizophrenia patients. In this study, we aimed to identify the prevalence of Toxoplasma infection in patients with schizophrenia and the relationships between, sociodemographic factors and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. A total of 27 schizophrenic patients were included and IgG anti-T. gondii was determined in serum samples by ELISA. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, sociodemographic factors were associated with seropositivity. We found that the prevalence of Toxoplasma antibodies was 51.7%. In the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, statistical significant association (p = 0.024) was found in Item 13 which is related to motor retardation, however, the association turned non-significant after of correction for multiple tests or after of analyzed with a logistic regression p = 0.059, odds ratio (OR) = 2.316 with a 95% confidence interval [0.970 to 5.532]. Other association was not found between toxoplasmosis and others factors. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis on our population under study was significantly higher than that reported by general population or other group of Mexican schizophrenia patients.
Highlights
Among 27 patients, the ELISA test results for Toxoplasma antibodies were negative in 12 and positive in 15 patients’ samples, which corresponded to a prevalence of 51.7%; Was higher than 27.97% in the general population, X2 = 32.42, (p < 0.0001); Is was higher that prevalence reported in mentally ill patients 38.52%, X2 = 10.76, (p < 0.0005)
No association was detected between having high Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) score (20 or more points on the BPRS scale) and being Toxoplasma seropositive and seronegative
When the mean scores for the BPRS items and the positivity for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney test for the total of 27 patients, 18 items for 24 patients were analyzed and we found a statistically significant difference in Item 13 related to motor retardation with (p = 0.024)
Summary
Toxoplasmosis is a disease, which was discovered in 1908, caused by an intracellular protozoan called Toxoplasma gondii. The infection can be acquired by various mechanisms such as vertical transmission from mother to child and orally through cysts present in raw or undercooked meat [1] and oocysts present in water or fruit and vegetables watered with sewage water and eaten without hand washing. Other infecting mechanisms are infected organ transplants, blood transfusions, and direct contamination, when working in laboratories with hand wounds or when contaminated raw meat is handled [2]. New route of infection has been suggested that toxoplasmosis could be transmitted sexually and by oral sex [3]. The genome of T. gondii contains two genes encoding tyrosine hydroxylase that produces levodopa (L-DOPA), which is a precursor to dopamine. The encoded enzymes metabolize phenylalanine as well as tyrosine with a preference for the tyrosine substrate
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