Toxoplasmosis can be a sexually transmitted infection with serious clinical consequences. Not all routes of infection are created equal

Flegr, Jaroslav; Klapilová, Kateřina; Kaňková, Šárka

doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2014.05.019

Cited by 61 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In contrast, the practicing homosexual sex, the factor F18, correlated positively with toxoplasmosis. This provides new support for the recent claims that toxoplasmosis could be most probably transmitted by unprotected sex (Flegr, Klapilová, & Kaňková, 2014). Men to men transmission by ejaculate could explain our nonpublished observation that high number of sexual partners was a highly important risk factor for acquiring toxoplasmosis not only for women but also for men.…”

Section: 36supporting

confidence: 79%

The Relation ofToxoplasmaInfection and Sexual Attraction to Fear, Danger, Pain, and Submissiveness

Flegr

Kuba

2016

Evol Psychol

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Behavioral patterns, including sexual behavioral patterns, are usually understood as biological adaptations increasing the fitness of their carriers. Many parasites, so-called manipulators, are known to induce changes in the behavior of their hosts to increase their own fitness. Such changes are also induced by a parasite of cats, Toxoplasma gondii. The most remarkable change is the fatal attraction phenomenon, the switch of infected mice's and rat's native fear of the smell of cats toward an attraction to this smell. The stimuli that activate fear-related circuits in healthy rodents start to also activate sex-related circuits in the infected animals. An analogy of the fatal attraction phenomenon has also been observed in infected humans. Therefore, we tried to test a hypothesis that sexual arousal by fear-, violence-, and danger-related stimuli occurs more frequently in Toxoplasma-infected subjects. A cross-sectional cohort study performed on 36,564 subjects (5,087 Toxoplasma free and 741 Toxoplasma infected) showed that infected and noninfected subjects differ in their sexual behavior, fantasies, and preferences when age, health, and the size of the place where they spent childhood were controlled (F(24, 3719) ¼ 2.800, p < .0001). In agreement with our a priori hypothesis, infected subjects are more often aroused by their own fear, danger, and sexual submission although they practice more conventional sexual activities than Toxoplasma-free subjects. We suggest that the later changes can be related to a decrease in the personality trait of novelty seeking in infected subjects, which is potentially a side effect of increased concentration of dopamine in their brain.

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Section: 36supporting

confidence: 79%

The Relation ofToxoplasmaInfection and Sexual Attraction to Fear, Danger, Pain, and Submissiveness

Flegr

Kuba

2016

Evol Psychol

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“…However and recently, Flegr et al [4] hypothesized that toxoplasmosis can be transmitted sexually depending the facts that Toxoplasma tachyzoites are present in the seminal fluid and tissues of the testes of various animals including humans, and that in some species, infection of females by artificial insemination with semen from infected males has been observed. Another fact that up to two thirds of Toxoplasma infections in pregnant women cannot be explained by the known risk factors and the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in women in child-bearing DOI: 10.21859/ajlsr-040303 age covaries with the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases in particular countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study the Possible Link Between Toxoplasmosis and Different Kinds of Cancer in Iraq

Molan

Rasheed

2016

AJLSR

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Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite which infects a wide range of warm-blooded animals and humans. Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for approximately 13% of global deaths. Worldwide, the prevalence of human infection with T. gondii has been increasing. However, little is known about the epidemiology of T. gondii infection in different cancer patient groups in Iraq. Thus, the objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in patients with four different types of cancer (breast, rectum, thyroid, and leukemia). Methods: Blood samples were collected from 300 patients with cancer and 150 apparently healthy controls and the sera were tested for the presence of anti-T. gondii antibodies (IgG and IgM) using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results:The prevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG in cancer patients (49.0%) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than that in controls (19.3%). The highest T. gondii IgG positivity rate was detected in breast cancer group (56.6%) followed by rectal cancer group (54.0%), thyroid cancer group (44.6%) and leukemia cancer group (36.0%). It is interesting to note that three male patients were infected with breast cancer and only one (33.3%) was seropositive with IgG. In rectum, thyroid gland, and leukemia cancer groups, the anti-T. gondii IgG seropositivity was higher in males than in female patients but the differences were significant (P < 0.05) only in rectum and leukemia groups. The highest seropositivity rates were detected in breast, rectal and leukemia cancer patients aged 51 to 60 years. Conclusions: In conclusion, Toxoplasmosis is significantly more prevalent in cancer patients than in apparently healthy volunteers and accordingly we recommend routine screening of all cancer infected patients for IgG anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and treat the seropositive ones.

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“…To reconcile this discrepancy between time of maternal illness and seeming lack of exposure to well-known sources of infection, we hypothesize there might be at least one other possible mechanism of acquisition not studied in humans-sexual transmission. Studies have already demonstrated that T. gondii tachyzoites are present in seminal fluid and/or testes of infected rams, goats, dogs, and humans [31][32][33][34][35]. In sheep and dogs, females were infected through sexual contact or artificial insemination with semen from an infected male.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also analyzed whether there are predictive factors for paternal T. gondii infections and/or recent infections, which would refine selection of fathers or families for whom testing is advisable. Placed in this context, the presence of T. gondii in semen of animals, including humans, suggests that there might be sexual transmission [31][32][33][34][35].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Clustering ofToxoplasma gondiiInfections Within Families of Congenitally Infected Infants

Contopoulos‐Ioannidis

Wheeler

Ramirez³

et al. 2015

Clin Infect Dis.

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Background. Family clusters and epidemics of toxoplasmosis in North, Central, and South America led us to determine whether fathers of congenitally infected infants in the National Collaborative Chicago-Based Congenital Toxoplasmosis Study (NCCCTS) have a high incidence of Toxoplasma gondii infection.Methods. We analyzed serum samples collected from NCCCTS families between 1981 and 2013. Paternal serum samples were tested for T. gondii antibodies with immunoglobulin (Ig) G dye test and IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Additional testing of paternal serum samples was performed with differential-agglutination and IgG avidity tests when T. gondii IgG and IgM results were positive and serum samples were collected by the 1-year visit of the congenitally infected child. Prevalence of paternal seropositivity and incidence of recent infection were calculated. We analyzed whether certain demographics, maternal parasite serotype, risk factors, or maternal/ infant clinical manifestations were associated with paternal T. gondii infection status.Results. Serologic testing revealed a high prevalence (29 of 81; 36%) of T. gondii infection in fathers, relative to the average seropositivity rate of 9.8% for boys and men aged 12-49 years in the United States between 1994 and 2004 (P < .001). Moreover, there was a higher-than-expected incidence of recent infections among fathers with serum samples collected by the 1-year visit of their child (6 of 45; 13%; P < .001). No demographic patterns or clinical manifestations in mothers or infants were associated with paternal infections, except for sandbox exposure.Conclusions. The high prevalence of chronic and incidence of recent T. gondii infections in fathers of congenitally infected children indicates that T. gondii infections cluster within families in North America. When a recently infected person is identified, family clustering and community risk factors should be investigated for appropriate clinical management.

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Toxoplasmosis can be a sexually transmitted infection with serious clinical consequences. Not all routes of infection are created equal

Cited by 61 publications

References 28 publications

The Relation ofToxoplasmaInfection and Sexual Attraction to Fear, Danger, Pain, and Submissiveness

The Relation ofToxoplasmaInfection and Sexual Attraction to Fear, Danger, Pain, and Submissiveness

Study the Possible Link Between Toxoplasmosis and Different Kinds of Cancer in Iraq

Clustering ofToxoplasma gondiiInfections Within Families of Congenitally Infected Infants

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