Insights into the interplay of latent toxoplasmosis, testosterone, cortisol and oxidative stress in screened schizophrenic patients in Egypt

El-Gebaly, Naglaa; Abdeltawab, Magda; Hamed, Alshaimaa; Mahfouz, Noha A; Adel, Shadan; Mahfoz, Amal M.; Rehan, Mohamed; Elsebaei, Eman Hany

doi:10.21608/puj.2019.11819.1040

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(42 reference statements)

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“…In this study, one hundred infected subjects, patients of a military hospital in Khartoum, had about two times higher concentrations of cortisol than 50 Toxoplasma-free controls (634 vs 324 nmol/l). In contrast, no significant difference in the concentration of cortisol (but a trend in the right direction p = 0.077) between infected and non-infected patients was observed in 120 schizophrenia patients in Egypt (El-Gebaly, et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Sex differences in the influence of toxoplasmosis on stress and perceived anxiety: Evidence for the stress-coping hypothesis

Flegr¹,

Kaňková²

2022

Preprint

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Life-long infection with Toxoplasma, which affects 30% of the human population, has specific behavioral effects. The stress-coping hypothesis explains why the toxoplasmosis-associated behavioral changes go in opposite directions in men and women. It suggests that toxoplasmosis impairs the health of humans, which results in chronic stress. Men and women are known to cope with stress in opposite ways. The first presumption of the hypothesis, impaired health, was confirmed in many studies. The second, higher level of stress, was tested only rarely. Levels of stress and anxiety, measured with the Perceived Stress Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory X-2, respectively, were compared in a population of 614 Toxoplasma-free and 162 Toxoplasma-infected subjects. Higher stress was detected in the infected men, but not women. We also found that physical health had a positive rather than negative effect on stress when mental health is controlled, which seems to contradict the prediction of the stress-coping hypothesis. No differences were found in the anxiety of infected and noninfected subjects. Subjects who have objective reasons for stress (those with worse physical health) are less stressed than those without such reasons.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Sex differences in the influence of toxoplasmosis on stress and perceived anxiety: Evidence for the stress-coping hypothesis

Flegr¹,

Kaňková²

2022

Preprint

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“…Outcome of congenital toxoplasmosis varies from asymptomatic infection to intrauterine fetal death or birth of severely affected children. The clinical presentations may differ from obvious defects as intrauterine growth retardation, microcephaly, and hydrocephalus to subclinical infections leading to retinochoroiditis [7] , and long-term neurodevelopmental disorders as mental retardation [8] , epilepsy [9] , schizophrenia [10,11] and psychiatric disorders later in life [12] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasmosis among Egyptian children with neurological disorders: developmental and risk factors analysis

El-Beshbishi

Elzeky

Atia

et al. 2020

Parasitologists United Journal

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Toxoplasma gondii infection and testosterone alteration: A systematic review and meta-analyses

Abdoli,

Ghaffarifar,

Sharifi

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Background Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a worldwide distributed protozoan parasite which has infected a wide range of warm-blooded animals and humans. The most common form of T. gondii infection is asymptomatic (latent); nevertheless, latent toxoplasmosis can induce various alterations of sex hormones, especially testosterone, in infected humans and animals. On the other hand, testosterone is involved in behavioral traits and reproductive functions in both sexes. Hence, the purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the available evidence regarding the association between T. gondii infection and testosterone alteration. Methods In the setting of a systematic review, an electronic search (any date to 10 January 2023) without language restrictions was performed using Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The PRISMA guidelines were followed. Following the initial search, a total of 12,306 titles and abstracts were screened initially; 12,281 were excluded due to the lack of eligibility criteria or duplication. Finally, 24 articles met the included criteria. A mean±standard deviation (SD) was calculated to assess the difference of testosterone between T. gondii positive and T. gondii negative humans. The possibility of publication bias was assessed using Egger’s regression. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results This systematic review identified 24 articles (18 studies in humans and six studies in animals). Most human studies (13 out of 19) reported an increased level of testosterone following latent toxoplasmosis in males, while three studies reported decreased levels and two studies reported an insignificant change. Eleven articles (seven datasets in males and seven datasets in females) were eligible to be included in the data synthesis. Based on the random-effects model, the pooled mean± SD of testosterone in T. gondii positive than T. gondii negative was increased by 0.73 and 0.55 units in males and females, respectively. The Egger’s regression did not detect a statistically significant publication bias in males and females (p = value = 0.95 and 0.71), respectively. Three studies in male animals (rats, mice, and spotted hyenas) and two studies in female animals (mice and spotted hyenas) reported a decline in testosterone in infected compared with non-infected animals. While, one study in female rats reported no significant changes of testosterone in infected than non-infected animals. Moreover, two studies in male rats reported an increased level of testosterone in infected than non-infected animals. Conclusions This study provides new insights about the association between T. gondii infection and testosterone alteration and identifies relevant data gaps that can inform and encourage further studies. The consequence of increased testosterone levels following T. gondii infection could partly be associated with increased sexual behavior and sexual transmission of the parasite. On the other hand, declining testosterone levels following T. gondii infection may be associated with male reproductive impairments, which were observed in T. gondii-infected humans and animals. Furthermore, these findings suggest the great need for more epidemiological and experimental investigations in depth to understand the relationship between T. gondii infection and testosterone alteration alongside with future consequences of testosterone alteration.

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Insights into the interplay of latent toxoplasmosis, testosterone, cortisol and oxidative stress in screened schizophrenic patients in Egypt

Cited by 6 publications

References 35 publications

Sex differences in the influence of toxoplasmosis on stress and perceived anxiety: Evidence for the stress-coping hypothesis

Sex differences in the influence of toxoplasmosis on stress and perceived anxiety: Evidence for the stress-coping hypothesis

Toxoplasmosis among Egyptian children with neurological disorders: developmental and risk factors analysis

Toxoplasma gondii infection and testosterone alteration: A systematic review and meta-analyses

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