Latent toxoplasmosis and olfactory functions of Rh positive and Rh negative subjects

Abstract

BackgroundsThe prevalence of toxoplasmosis is higher in schizophrenics than in the general population. It has been suggested that certain symptoms of schizophrenia, including changes in olfactory functions, are in fact symptoms of toxoplasmosis that can be easily detected in schizophrenics only due to the increased prevalence of toxoplasmosis in this population. Schizophrenics have impaired identification of odors and lower sensitivity of odor detection, however, no information about these parameters of non-schizophrenic Toxoplasma-infected subjects is available.MethodsHere we searched for differences in olfactory functions between 62 infected and 61 noninfected non-schizophrenic subjects using the case-controls experimental design.ResultsThe infected men scored better than the non-infected controls in the standard odor-identification test. The infected women rated all smells as more intensive while the infected men rated nearly all smells as less intensive. Infected women rated the pleasantness of the smell of the cat urine as higher than the non-infected women and the opposite was true for the men–in contrast, higher pleasantness of odor in infected men and lower in infected women were observed and described in the 2011 study. Toxoplasmosis, Rh, and toxoplasmosis-Rh interaction were not associated with the rated pleasantness of the smell of other stimuli. However, our sample contained only 17 Rh negative men and 30 Rh negative women. Therefore, all results concerning the main effects of Rh factor and the interaction with Rh factor must be considered only preliminary.ConclusionsOur results suggest that latent toxoplasmosis is associated with changes in the olfactory functions in humans; however, the observed changes differ from those observed in schizophrenics.

Chronic Toxoplasma gondii Infection Modulates Hearing Ability across the Adult Life Span

“…In our study, however, the accelerated increase in the hearing threshold over the age range did not only result in more impaired hearing in older IgG-positive than IgG-negative individuals (which was also only found in the high-frequency range which is more critical for this group), but also in younger IgG-positive individuals with a less steep increase in hearing threshold than IgG-negative individuals, in both frequency ranges. A very similar effect was observed in a study on odor perception with young participants (average age 28 years), in which IgG-positive men performed better than their IgG-negative counterparts [52]. While this pattern seems unexpected, it nicely corresponds to the model proposed by Colzato et al [26] on the influence of latent toxoplasmosis on cognitive functions.…”

Toxoplasma infection and Rhesus blood group system: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The articles that were of moderate [ 25 , 30 , 32 – 36 , 38 – 40 , 42 , 43 , 45 ] and high quality [ 19 , 22 – 24 , 31 , 37 , 41 , 44 ] using the NOS checklist were included in the meta-analysis. The quality scores of the various eligible studies are presented in S2 File .…”