Association between Toxoplasma gondii Exposure and Suicidal Behavior in Patients Attending Primary Health Care Clinics

Alvarado‐Esquivel, Cosme; Estrada-Martínez, Sergio; Ramos-Nevárez, Agar; Pérez-Álamos, Alma Rosa; Beristaín-Garcia, Isabel; Alvarado‐Félix, Ángel Osvaldo; Cerrillo-Soto, Sandra Margarita; Sifuentes-Álvarez, Antonio; Alvarado-Félix, Gustavo Alexis; Guido-Arreola, Carlos Alberto; Sáenz-Soto, Leandro

doi:10.3390/pathogens10060677

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The results of our study may mean that infection with T. gondii could lead to sexual promiscuity, especially in men, or that people with sexual promiscuity could have risk factors that favor infection with T. gondii. Sexual promiscuity has been linked to mental health problems in men [43], and infection with T. gondii has been linked to mental disorders [10][11][12][13][14][15]. Therefore, sexual promiscuity might be a manifestation of mental disorders in some individuals exposed to T. gondii.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…T. gondii can persist lifelong in the central nervous system within neurons, modifying their function and structure and leading to specific behavioral changes of the host [9]. Infections with T. gondii have been associated with schizophrenia [10,11], suicide behavior [12][13][14], mixed anxiety and depressive disorder [15], traffic accidents [16], and aggression [17]. In contrast, some studies have shown a lack of association between T. gondii seropositivity and depression in pregnant women [18], completed suicide [19], and bipolar disorder [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Is Toxoplasma gondii Infection Associated with Sexual Promiscuity? A Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We determined the association between T. gondii seropositivity and a history of sexual promiscuity. The study included 3933 people (mean age: 41.81 ± 14.31 years) who attended public health facilities. Face-to-face interviews were used to collect data. Enzyme immunoassays were used to determine anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies. Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 57 (18.1%) of 315 individuals with sexual promiscuity and in 374 (10.3%) of 3618 individuals without this practice (OR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.41–2.60; p < 0.0001). High (>150 IU/mL) levels of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 29 (9.2%) of the 315 participants with sexual promiscuity and in 167 (4.6%) of the 3618 participants without this history (OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.38–3.16; p = 0.0003). The association of sexual promiscuity with T. gondii seropositivity and serointensity was observed in men but not in women. Sexual promiscuity was associated with T. gondii seropositivity in all age groups studied (≤30 years, 31–50 years, and >50 years) and with T. gondii serointensity in two age groups (≤30 years, and >50 years). No difference in the frequencies of anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies among the groups was found. Our findings indicate that T. gondii seropositivity and serointensity are associated with sexual promiscuity.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Toxoplasma gondii Infection Associated with Sexual Promiscuity? A Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is unknown whether decedents included in the control group had had suicidal behavior in life. Recent studies in Mexico have shown an association between T. gondii seropositivity and suicidal behavior in several population groups including patients attending primary health care clinics [ 26 ] and people with alcohol consumption [ 27 ]. Further studies including a wide range of sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral variables to determine the association between T. gondii infection and suicide should be conducted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Suicide and Toxoplasma gondii Seropositivity

Mendoza-Larios¹,

García-Dolores²,

Sánchez‐Anguiano³

et al. 2021

Pathogens

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aimed to determine the association between suicide and Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) seropositivity. Serum samples of 89 decedents who committed suicide (cases) and 58 decedents who did not commit suicide (controls) were tested for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were further detected by enzyme-linked fluorescence assay (ELFA). A total of 8 (9.0%) of the 89 cases and 6 (10.3%) of the 58 controls were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies (OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.28–2.60; p = 0.78). Anti-T. gondii IgG levels were higher than 150 IU/mL in two (2.2%) cases and in five (8.6%) controls (OR: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.04–1.30; p = 0.11). Anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were not found in any case or control using the enzyme immunoassay and were found in only one (1.7%) control using ELFA (p = 0.39). Rates of IgG seropositivity and high levels of anti-T. gondii antibodies were similar in cases and in controls regardless of their sex or age groups. The results do not support an association between T. gondii seropositivity and suicide. However, the statistical power of the test was low. Further research is necessary to confirm this lack of association.

show abstract

“…Chronic toxoplasmosis might be responsible for a vast array of neuropsychiatric symptoms [9]. Seroprevalence of T. gondii infection has been linked to mixed anxiety and depressive disorder [10], schizophrenia [11, 12], depression [13, 14], and suicide behavior [14-15]. Few studies have shown a link between T. gondii infection and insomnia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii infection and insomnia: a case control seroprevalence study

Alvarado-Esqu

Estrada-Martínez

Pérez-Álamos

et al. 2022

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim: To determine the association between Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii ) infection and insomnia. Materials and methods: Through an age-and gender-matched case-control study, 577 people with insomnia (cases) and 577 people without insomnia (controls) were tested for anti- T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using commercially available enzyme-immunoassays. Results: Anti- T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 71 (12.3%) of 577 individuals with insomnia and in 46 (8.0%) of 577 controls (OR=1.62; 95% CI: 1.09-2.39; P =0.01). Men with insomnia had a higher (16/73: 21.9%) seroprevalence of T. gondii infection than men without insomnia (5/73: 6.8%) (OR: 3.81; 95% CI: 1.31-11.06; P =0.009). The rate of high (>150 IU/ml) anti- T. gondii IgG antibody levels in cases was higher than the one in controls (OR=2.21; 95% CI: 1.13-4.31; P =0.01). Men with insomnia had a higher (8/73: 11.0%) rate of high anti- T. gondii IgG antibody levels than men without insomnia (0/73: 0.0%) ( P =0.006). The rate of high anti- T. gondii IgG antibody levels in cases >50 years old (11/180: 6.1%) was higher than that (3/180: 1.7%) in controls of the same age group (OR: 3.84; 95% CI: 1.05-14.00; P =0.05). No difference in the rate of IgM seropositivity between cases and controls was found (OR=1.33; 95% CI: 0.57-3.11; P =0.50). Conclusions: Results of this seroepidemiology study suggest that infection with T. gondii is associated with insomnia. Men older than 50 years with T. gondii exposure might be prone to insomnia. Further research to confirm the association between seropositivity and serointensity to T. gondii and insomnia are needed.

show abstract

Association between Toxoplasma gondii Exposure and Suicidal Behavior in Patients Attending Primary Health Care Clinics

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Is Toxoplasma gondii Infection Associated with Sexual Promiscuity? A Cross-Sectional Study

Is Toxoplasma gondii Infection Associated with Sexual Promiscuity? A Cross-Sectional Study

Association between Suicide and Toxoplasma gondii Seropositivity

Toxoplasma gondii infection and insomnia: a case control seroprevalence study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About