Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Sweden, Estonia and Iceland

Birgisdóttir, Alda; Asbjörnsdottir, Hulda; Cook, E. Fullerton; Gíslason, Davíð; Jansson, Christer; Ólafsson, Ísleifur; Gíslason, Þórarinn; Jõgi, Rain; Þjóðleifsson, Bjarni

doi:10.1080/00365540600606556

Cited by 45 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Two previous studies have reported that T. gondii seropositivity is associated with higher CRP level (Birgisdóttir et al, 2006; Hinze-Selch et al, 2007), which has also been observed in a mouse model of chronic T. gondii infection (Tomasik et al, 2016). Elevated CRP, in turn, may predispose to depressive symptoms (Valkanova et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…A previous Nordic study has found that T. gondii seropositivity is associated with higher values of C-reactive protein (CRP) (Birgisdóttir et al 2006), which in turn is associated with both depression (Young et al, 2014) and anxiety (Copeland et al, 2012). Therefore, we investigated whether associations between mental health and T. gondii seropositivity changed after adjusting for CRP level.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Toxoplasma gondii infection and common mental disorders in the Finnish general population

Suvisaari

Holm

Lindgren

et al. 2017

Journal of Affective Disorders

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective We investigated whether T. gondii seropositivity is associated with 12-month depressive, anxiety and alcohol use disorders and current depressive symptoms and whether inflammation, measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) level, explains these associations. Method Health 2000 study (BRIF8901), conducted in years 2000–2001, is based on a nationally representative sample of Finns aged 30 and above, with 7112 participants and 88.6% response rate. DSM-IV depressive, anxiety and alcohol use disorders were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and depressive symptoms with the Beck Depressive Inventory (BDI-21). We used logistic regression to investigate the association of T. gondii seropositivity with mental disorders and linear regression with BDI-21 scores. Results T. gondii seroprevalence was significantly associated with 12-month generalized anxiety disorder but not with other anxiety, depressive or alcohol use disorders. T. gondii seropositivity was associated with higher BDI-21 scores (beta 0.56, 95% CI 0.12–1.00, P=0.013) and with having a comorbid depressive and anxiety disorder (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.16–2.97, P=0.010). Higher CRP levels were associated with these outcomes and with T. gondii seropositivity, but adjusting for CRP did not change the effect of T. gondii seropositivity. Limitations cross-sectional study design with no information on the timing of T. gondii infection. Conclusion T. gondii seropositivity is associated with generalized anxiety disorder, depressive symptoms and comorbid depressive and anxiety disorders, which is not mediated by inflammation.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii infection and common mental disorders in the Finnish general population

Suvisaari

Holm

Lindgren

et al. 2017

Journal of Affective Disorders

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In contrast to the decrease observed in other countries ( Jones et al 2007, Pappas et al 2009, Villena et al 2010, there has been no decline in T. gondii seroprevalence in humans in Estonia (Pehk 1994, Birgisdottir et al 2006, Janson et al 2013. The reasons for this have not been studied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Seroprevalence of and Risk Factors forToxoplasma gondiiInfection in Cats in Estonia

Must

Lassen

Jokelainen

2015

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Estonia, northeastern Europe, Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in humans has not declined, in contrast to many other countries. The reasons for this are unknown. Domestic cats are important hosts in the epidemiology of the parasite, but information on local feline T. gondii infections has been lacking. An epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii and the risk factors associated with seropositivity in cats in Estonia. Surplus from blood samples that had been collected for unrelated diagnostic purposes from 306 pet cats and 184 shelter cats were analyzed for anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies by using a direct agglutination test. Two questionnaires were designed to reveal relevant risk factors for seropositivity. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii in cats in Estonia was 60.8%. Older age, outdoor access, hunting, living outside the city in the countryside, and not being a purebred cat were among the risk factors associated with seropositivity. T. gondii is highly prevalent in domestic cats in Estonia. This suggests that the environment has been contaminated with T. gondii. Seropositivity indicates previous oocyst shedding, and most of the cats had outdoor access. The increase in T. gondii seroprevalence with age indicates acquired infections, and most of the risk factors were lifestyle-related. Cat owners could diminish the risk of T. gondii infection and also limit the spread of the parasite by not allowing their cats to roam free.

show abstract

“…Our findings agree with those reports of lower prevalence of T. gondii infection in atopic patients compared to non-atopics [15-17,20,21], reinforcing the hypothesis that a higher exposure to T. gondii reduces sensitization on population level. On the other hand, other studies did not find any association between seropositivity to T. gondii and atopy [14,18,19]. One likely explanation for these contradictory findings may be the selection criteria used for definition of atopy [21], since the prevalence of respiratory allergic diseases increases linearly with the increase in specific serum IgE levels [22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antibody and cytokine responses to house dust mite allergens and Toxoplasma gondii antigens in atopic and non-atopic Brazilian subjects

Fernandes

Taketomi

Mineo

et al. 2010

Clinical Immunology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

According to hygiene hypothesis, a lower exposure to infection is associated with increased prevalence of allergic diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between atopy and Toxoplasma gondii (Tg) infection by analyzing the antibody and cytokine responses to house dust mite allergens and T. gondii antigens in Brazilian subjects. A total of 275 individuals were assessed and divided into atopics (n=129) and non-atopics (n=146) based on markers of allergy (positive skin prick test and ELISA-IgE to mite allergens) or Tg-seropositive (n=116) and Tg-seronegative (n=159) groups according to infection markers (positive ELISA-IgG to T. gondii). Tg-seropositive individuals presented lower allergenic sensitization (37%) to mite allergens than Tg-seronegative subjects (54%). A significant association was found between atopy and negative serology to T. gondii (OR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.23–3.26; P<0.05). Proliferative responses and cytokine production after antigenic stimulation showed predominant synthesis of Th1-cytokines as IFN-γ in Tg-seropositive patients, whether atopics or non-atopics. Conversely, Th2-cytokines as IL-5 prevailed in atopics compared to non-atopics, regardless the seropositivity to T. gondii. Levels of IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, and TGF-β were not able to discriminate the groups. Hence, a negative association between atopy and infection by T. gondii was demonstrated for the first time in Brazilian subjects, focusing on the antibody and cytokine responses and indicating that the immunomodulation induced by the parasite may play a protective role in the development of allergic diseases.

show abstract

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Sweden, Estonia and Iceland

Abstract: Background: Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the intracellular protozoan parasite,

Cited by 45 publications

References 22 publications

Toxoplasma gondii infection and common mental disorders in the Finnish general population

Toxoplasma gondii infection and common mental disorders in the Finnish general population

Seroprevalence of and Risk Factors forToxoplasma gondiiInfection in Cats in Estonia

Antibody and cytokine responses to house dust mite allergens and Toxoplasma gondii antigens in atopic and non-atopic Brazilian subjects

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About