Article
Microbiology
Laura Alejandra Mendoza-Larios, Fernando Garcia-Dolores, Luis Francisco Sanchez-Anguiano, Jesus Hernandez-Tinoco, Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel
Summary: This study found no association between suicide and Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity, but further research is needed to confirm this lack of association.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lance D. Erickson, Bruce L. Brown, Shawn D. Gale, Dawson W. Hedges
Summary: The study found that the parasite Toxoplasma gondii may be associated with decreased total gray-matter volume in middle-aged and older adults in a community sample from the United Kingdom. However, no associations were found between Toxoplasma gondii and prefrontal, hippocampal, and thalamic gray-matter volumes.
Article
Oncology
James M. Hodge, Anna E. Coghill, Youngchul Kim, Noemi Bender, Stephanie A. Smith-Warner, Susan Gapstur, Lauren R. Teras, Tom K. Grimsrud, Tim Waterboer, Kathleen M. Egan
Summary: Two prospective cohort studies suggest a potential association between T gondii infection and increased risk of glioma, especially among participants with high antibody titers specific to the sag-1 antigen. Further studies with larger case numbers are needed to confirm this etiologic role for T gondii in glioma.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Adriana Lori, Dimitrios Avramopoulos, Alex W. Wang, Jennifer Mulle, Nicholas Massa, Erica J. Duncan, Abigail Powers, Karen Conneely, Charles F. Gillespie, Tanja Jovanovic, Kerry J. Ressler, Brad D. Pearce
Summary: The study found that the polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (SCZ-PRS) is significantly associated with uninfected individuals but not with those infected with Toxoplasma gondii. This highlights the importance of considering environmental risk factors in identifying subgroups with independent or different genetic components involved in the development of schizophrenia.
COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Kehui Zhu, Kun Liu, Junsi Huang, Xueqiong Weng, Qiaoyun Chen, Tianyu Gao, Kebing Chen, Chunxia Jing, Jing Wang, Guang Yang
Summary: This study found that Toxoplasma gondii infection is a risk factor for osteoporosis, especially compound osteoporosis. Further diagnosis and treatment of T. gondii infection, especially in women, are necessary for patients with osteoporosis.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Franziska E. Fuchs, Maude Pauly, Antony P. Black, Judith M. Huebschen
Summary: ToRCH refers to pathogens associated with pregnancy complications and sequelae in unborn or newborn children. Seroprevalence data are crucial for estimating immunity, vaccination levels, and infection risk during pregnancy, warranting well-designed area-wide surveys.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Paula Rovira, Blanca Gutierrez, Antonio Sorlozano-Puerto, Jose Gutierrez-Fernandez, Esther Molina, Margarita Rivera, Rafael Martinez-Leal, Inmaculada Ibanez-Casas, Maria Victoria Martin-Laguna, Araceli Rosa, Francisco Torres-Gonzalez, Jorge A. Cervilla
Summary: Schizophrenia risk is influenced by both Toxoplasma gondii infection and the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genotype. The risk is modified by the interaction between T. gondii infection and COMT genotype.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Carlo Bienkowski, Malgorzata Aniszewska, Monika Kowalczyk, Jolanta Popielska, Konrad Zawadka, Agnieszka Oldakowska, Maria Pokorska-Spiewak
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women. The results showed that living in rural areas and eating raw meat were independent risk factors for T. gondii infection during pregnancy.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Damien Dupont, Jian-Sheng Lin, Francois Peyron, Hideo Akaoka, Martine Wallon
Summary: The study demonstrated that Toxoplasma gondii infection can lead to chronic alterations in sleep-wake states in mice, characterized by increased time spent awake, increased cortical EEG theta power density, and decreased slow-wave sleep. These effects can be alleviated by anti-inflammatory treatment with corticosteroid dexamethasone, shedding light on the neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders reported in infected patients.
CNS NEUROSCIENCE & THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel, Sergio Estrada-Martinez, Alma Rosa Perez-Alamos, Agar Ramos-Nevarez, Karina Botello-Calderon, Angel Osvaldo Alvarado-Felix, Raquel Vaquera-Enriquez, Gustavo Alexis Alvarado-Felix, Antonio Sifuentes-Alvarez, Carlos Alberto Guido-Arreola, Elizabeth Rabago-Sanchez, Leandro Saenz-Soto
Summary: This study determined the association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and insomnia. The results showed that individuals with insomnia had a higher prevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies compared to those without insomnia. Men and individuals over the age of 50 were more susceptible to T. gondii infection-related insomnia.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lokman Galal, Frederic Ariey, Meriadeg Ar Gouilh, Marie-Laure Darde, Azra Hamidovic, Franck Letourneur, Franck Prugnolle, Aurelien Mercier
Summary: This study analyzes 156 genomes of Toxoplasma gondii and provides estimates of the parasite's mutation rate and generation time. It reveals that a specific haplotype is associated with the spread of the parasite through cats, indicating its role in sexual reproduction.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Fanzhen Mao, Yougui Yang, Yuying Chen, Qiang Zhang, Xin Ding, Bixian Ni, Xiangzhen Xu, Xiaolin Jin, Yang Dai
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection among high-risk populations in Jiangsu Province, eastern China. The results showed significantly lower infection rates in pregnant women and higher infection rates in cancer patients. Higher educational levels were associated with lower seropositivity rates for T. gondii infection.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Manar E. Abdel-Rahman, Shilu Mathew, Asmaa A. Al Thani, Khalid Al Ansari, Hadi M. Yassine
Summary: This study highlights the association of disease severity among AGE-infected pediatrics in Qatar, with RV and NoV infections causing more severe symptoms. In multivariable analysis, the likelihood of detecting RV was significantly higher in children with severe symptoms compared to those with moderate symptoms.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Yumiko Saijo-Hamano, Aalaa Alrahman Sherif, Ariel Pradipta, Miwa Sasai, Naoki Sakai, Yoshiaki Sakihama, Masahiro Yamamoto, Daron M. Standley, Ryo Nitta
Summary: The p47 immunity-related GTPase (IRG) Irgb6 plays a critical role in host defense against Toxoplasma gondii infection. The crystal structures of mouse Irgb6 in both GTP-bound and nucleotide-free forms were determined, revealing a novel structural basis for Irgb6 to recognize T. gondii parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) in a unique manner distinct from other IRGs.
LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kaige Du, Fei Lu, Chengzuo Xie, Haojie Ding, Yu Shen, Yafan Gao, Shaohong Lu, Xunhui Zhuo
Summary: This study revealed that infection with T. gondii can stimulate and mediate apoptosis in host cells through multiple pathways.
JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY-SCIENCE B
(2022)