Association of Toxoplasmosis and COVID-19 in a Mexican Population

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 is the causal agent of COVID-19; the first report of SARS-CoV-2 infection was in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. This virus has since caused the largest pandemic in history, and the number of deaths and infections has been significant. Nevertheless, the development of vaccines has helped to reduce both deaths and infections. Comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, heart and lung diseases, and obesity have been identified as additional risk factors for infection and the progression of COVID-19. Additionally, latent toxoplasmosis has been reported to be a risk factor for acquiring COVID-19 in some studies, but other studies have suggested a negative association between these two infections. Furthermore, in patients after vaccination or with COVID-19 and coinfection, an increase in the lethality and mortality of toxoplasmosis has been observed. Therefore, the objective of the current study is to determine the association of toxoplasmosis with COVID-19 in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Serum samples from 384 patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19 using IgG antibodies against the S1/S2 antigens of SARS-CoV-2 were collected. Subsequently, anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies were analyzed with ELISA. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Version 20.0 frequencies, percentages, 2 × 2 tables, and the Pearson correlation coefficient. IgG and IgM anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were positive in 105/384 (27.34%) and (26/191) 13.6% of patients, respectively. The positivity for both infections was higher in patients aged >40 years old. Subjects who were overweight or obese were mainly positive for both IgG antibodies against S1/S2 SARS-CoV-2 and Toxoplasma antibodies. In conclusion, the coinfection rate was 21.7%. The prevalence of S1/S2 SARS-CoV-2 was 308/384 (80.2%), and the percentage of Toxoplasma antibodies was 27.34%.

Frequency of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii in COVID-19 patients. a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Another important result was that 2% of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 showed evidence of active T. gondii infection, which was assessed by IgM detection. In their study, Galván-Ramírez MdlL et al reported that, when analyzing 191 patients with COVID-19 by IgM detection, 13.6% were found to have an active T. gondii infection (17).…”

“…Likewise, among the 1,302 COVID-19 patients tested, 36 cases were identi ed with the presence of T. gondii by IgM detection. Finally, of the 533 patients with COVID-19 screened by PCR, 21 cases were found to have T. gondii (Table 1) (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). Considering all patients, approximately 43.26% were males and 49.41% were females.…”

“…The studies' quality was evaluated using the JBI Critical Appraisal Tools for cross-sectional research. All the studies were of moderate quality (Table S3) (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). Egger's test for the evaluation of publication bias obtained a value of p = 0.4301 (t = 0.82, df = 11).…”

Genetic diversity and seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in COVID‑19 patients; a first case-control study in Iran

“…Nevertheless, another study did not confirm a strong association between T. gondii infection and susceptibility to COVID‑19 [ 21 ]. In a recent study in the Mexican population, the prevalence of IgG and IgM anti -Toxoplasma antibodies was demonstrated in 27.34% and 13.6% of COVID-19 patients, respectively [ 31 ]. A study conducted on the Czech and Slovak populations showed that toxoplasmosis is not considered a risk factor for COVID-19 and Toxoplasma -infected patients [ 16 ].…”

Association between breakthrough infection with COVID-19 and Toxoplasma gondii: a cross-sectional study

“…Considering recent studies of cases of breakthrough infection after the COVID vaccine the reported data about disease severity recorded 27% of asymptomatic cases, with the need for hospitalization in ten percent; it seems that toxoplasmosis in our research affected the severity of disease and death rate recorded 27 . However, other factors may be responsible for mild cases observed; one important factor is the emergence of the Omicron variant, characterized by its unparalleled transmission rate, heightened immune evasion, transmissibility, and reduced pathogenicity 28 , 29 . Breakthrough infections could be attributed to other factors, including characteristics of immunity, host determinants (such as age, comorbidities, immune status, and use of immunosuppressive drugs 30 .…”