Toxoplasma gondii infection and schizophrenia: A case control study in a low Toxoplasma seroprevalence Mexican population

• Published in: Parasitology international 2011-06, Vol.60 (2), p.151-155
• Main Authors: Alvarado-Esquivel, Cosme, Urbina-Álvarez, Jesús David, Estrada-Martínez, Sergio, Torres-Castorena, Alejandro, Molotla-de-León, Gabriel, Liesenfeld, Oliver, Dubey, Jitender P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Case control study; Case-Control Studies; Cats; Classification; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - methods; Epidemiology; Ethnic groups; Female; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Hospitals; Humans; Immunoassays; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin M; Immunoglobulin M - blood; Infection; Infectious Disease; Logistic Models; Male; Mental disorders; Mexico - epidemiology; Middle Aged; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - complications; Schizophrenia - epidemiology; Schizophrenia - parasitology; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Seroprevalence; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Toxoplasma - isolation & purification; Toxoplasma - pathogenicity; Toxoplasma gondii; Toxoplasmosis - complications; Toxoplasmosis - epidemiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1383-5769; 1873-0329
• DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2010.12.003

Abstract There are conflicting reports concerning the association of Toxoplasma gondii infection and schizophrenia in humans. Therefore, we determined such association in a Mexican population of Mestizo ethnicity. Through a case–control study design, 50 schizophrenic patients and 150 control subjects matched by gender, age, residence place, and ethnicity were examined with enzyme-linked immunoassays for the presence and levels of T. gondii IgG antibodies and for the presence of T. gondii IgM antibodies. Schizophrenic patients attended a public psychiatric hospital in Durango City, Mexico, and the control group consisted of individuals of the general population of the same city. Socio-demographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics from the study subjects were also obtained. Both the seroprevalence and the level of T.gondii IgG antibodies were higher in schizophrenic patients (10/50; 20%) than in control subjects (8/150; 5.3%) (OR = 4.44; 95% CI: 1.49–13.37; P = 0.003). The IgG T. gondii levels higher than 150 IU/ml were more frequently observed in patients than in controls (10% versus 2%, respectively; P = 0.02). One (50%) of the two patients with recently diagnosed schizophrenia and none of the controls had T. gondii IgM antibodies ( P = 0.01). T. gondii seropositivity was significantly higher in patients with a history of cleaning cat excrement ( P = 0.005), and suffering from simple schizophrenia (ICD-10 classification: F20.6) ( P = 0.03) than patients without these characteristics. Toxoplasma seroprevalence was also significantly higher in patients with simple schizophrenia (F20.6) than in those with paranoid schizophrenia (F20.0) ( P = 0.02). This study provides elements to clarify the controversial information on the association of T. gondii infection and schizophrenia.