AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightMore studies are needed to prove the association between T. gondii infection and patients suffering from schizophrenia.
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Abstract
To determine the possible relationship between toxoplasmosis and patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES). Materials and methods: Seventy-three subjects with FES (15-54 years old; mean: 23.4 years) and 40 healthy individuals (20-54 years old; mean: 30.3 years) were enrolled in the study. Most of the FES patients (90.4%) and the control individuals (95.0%) were male. Specific IgG and IgM antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the total amount of antibodies was investigated with the Sabin-Feldman dye test (SFDT). Results: Compared to the control individuals, study subjects had significantly more toxoplasmosis-like symptoms and more cats in the household; they were less likely to live in apartments and more likely to live in ground-floor houses. They did consume more uncooked meat, unpasteurized goat’s milk, and chicken eggs; had more contact with soil; and were living less often in urban areas and more often in rural areas. Serum samples from 32 (43.8%) and 25 (34.2%) of 73 patients with FES were seropositive for T. gondii when tested by ELISA IgG and SFDT, respectively. Out of 40 serum samples from control subjects, 13 (32.5%) and 15 (37.5%) were found positive for T. gondii by ELISA IgG and SFDT, respectively. In patients with FES, 17 (68%) out of 25 who were SFDT-positive were also positive by ELISA IgG test, while 15 out of 48 (31.3%) SFDT-negative serums were positive by ELISA IgG. In the control group, 11 out of 15 SFDT-positive serum samples (73.3%) were also positive by ELISA IgG test, while 2 out of 25 SFDT-negative serum samples were positive by ELISA IgG. Conclusion: The present study shows that toxoplasmosis might be associated with first-episode schizophrenia. More studies are needed to prove the association between T. gondii infection and patients suffering from schizophrenia.
Özet
To determine the possible relationship between toxoplasmosis and patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES). Materials and methods: Seventy-three subjects with FES (15-54 years old; mean: 23.4 years) and 40 healthy individuals (20-54 years old; mean: 30.3 years) were enrolled in the study. Most of the FES patients (90.4%) and the control individuals (95.0%) were male. Specific IgG and IgM antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the total amount of antibodies was investigated with the Sabin-Feldman dye test (SFDT). Results: Compared to the control individuals, study subjects had significantly more toxoplasmosis-like symptoms and more cats in the household; they were less likely to live in apartments and more likely to live in ground-floor houses. They did consume more uncooked meat, unpasteurized goat’s milk, and chicken eggs; had more contact with soil; and were living less often in urban areas and more often in rural areas. Serum samples from 32 (43.8%) and 25 (34.2%) of 73 patients with FES were seropositive for T. gondii when tested by ELISA IgG and SFDT, respectively. Out of 40 serum samples from control subjects, 13 (32.5%) and 15 (37.5%) were found positive for T. gondii by ELISA IgG and SFDT, respectively. In patients with FES, 17 (68%) out of 25 who were SFDT-positive were also positive by ELISA IgG test, while 15 out of 48 (31.3%) SFDT-negative serums were positive by ELISA IgG. In the control group, 11 out of 15 SFDT-positive serum samples (73.3%) were also positive by ELISA IgG test, while 2 out of 25 SFDT-negative serum samples were positive by ELISA IgG. Conclusion: The present study shows that toxoplasmosis might be associated with first-episode schizophrenia. More studies are needed to prove the association between T. gondii infection and patients suffering from schizophrenia.