Sex-dependent toxoplasmosis-associated differences in testosterone concentration in humans

Flegr, Jaroslav; Lindová, Jitka; Kodym, Petr

doi:10.1017/s0031182007004064

Cited by 134 publications

(128 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The present study showed that Toxoplasma infected men had a higher concentration of testosterone than Toxoplasma free controls. This result was in agreement with previous study by (Flegr et al 2008). High concentrations of TTH and FTH have immunosuppressive effects characterized by lower cellular immunity (Roberts et al 2001).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

“…Their tendency to disregard rules of their society which can result in lower hygienic standards and, corresponding increased risk of contact with a source of infection (Kanková et al 2011). On the other hand Flegr et al (2008) showed that Toxoplasma infected men had a higher concentration of testosterone while women had a lower concentration in comparison to control group. He explained such opposite direction of the testosterone shift in men compared to women to the gender specificity of behavioral shifts in Toxoplasma infected subjects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

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The effect of toxoplasmosis on the level of some sex hormones in males blood donors in Baghdad

2013

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Toxoplasma gondii is a unique intracellular parasite, which infect a large proportion of the world population, but uncommonly causes clinically significant disease. The present study was performed to estimate the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in 400 apparently healthy blood donor males, their ages were between 18 and 57 years using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and to examine the effects of infection on total testosterone, free testosterone and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in their sera. Seroprevalence showed 10 (2.5 %) and 121 (30 %) of them had IgM and IgG antibodies respectively. Both acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in males recorded higher significant (P \ 0.05) mean concentration for total and free testosterone hormone, they were 12.188 ± 0.73, 7.837 ± 0.52 ng/ ml and 44.121 ± 1.76, 27.984 ± 0.94 pg/ml respectively. The mean concentration of FSH revealed non-significant (P \ 0.05) differences in both disease activities, they were 6.41 ± 0.47 and 6.515 ± 0.51 IU/ml respectively.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

The effect of toxoplasmosis on the level of some sex hormones in males blood donors in Baghdad

2013

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“…Reproductive implications of T. gondii seropositivity have also been reported in rodents, with T. gondii-infected male rats being preferentially chosen as mates over the non-infected males by non-infected female rats, potentially due to changes in testosterone levels [82]. Testosterone levels have also been reported to be higher in T. gondii-infected men and decreased in T. gondii-infected women [83], and this may explain the increased impulsivity and reduced self-control findings in men. Gender differences in hedonic ratings to cat urine odor in T. gondii-infected men vs. T. gondii-infected women [84] have also been described previously.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

302. Sleep Onset Insomnia, Daytime Sleepiness and Sleep Duration in Relationship to Toxoplasma gondii IgG Seropositivity and Serointensity

Moustafa

Ahmad

Stiller

et al. 2017

Biological Psychiatry

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Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infects central nervous tissue and is kept in relative dormancy by a healthy immune system. Sleep disturbances have been found to precipitate mental illness, suicidal behavior and car accidents, which have been previously linked to T. gondii as well. We speculated that if sleep disruption, particularly insomnia, would mediate, at least partly, the link between T. gondii infection and related behavioral dysregulation, then we would be able to identify significant associations between sleep disruption and T. gondii. The mechanisms for such an association may involve dopamine (DA) production by T. gondii, or collateral effects of immune activation necessary to keep T. gondii in check. Sleep questionnaires from 2031 Old Order Amish were analyzed in relationship to T. gondii-IgG antibodies measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and serointensity were not associated with any of the sleep latency variables or Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). A secondary analysis identified, after adjustment for age group, a statistical trend toward shorter sleep duration in seropositive men (p = 0.07). In conclusion, it is unlikely that sleep disruption mediates links between T. gondii and mental illness or behavioral dysregulation. Trending gender differences in associations between T. gondii and shorter sleep need further investigation. Ahmad et al.

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“…In chronically infected rats hypomethylation of the arginine vasopressin gene promoter region was observed in the amygdala [50]. Published data has reported both increased and decreased testosterone associated with T. gondii seropositivity in humans [51][52][53].…”

Section: Hormonal Changes With Chronic Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurophysiological Changes Induced by Chronic <em>Toxoplasma gondii</em> Infection

Tedford

McConkey

2017

Preprint

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Although the parasite Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most pervasive neurotropic pathogens in the world, the host-parasite interactions during CNS infection and consequences of neurological infection are just beginning to be unraveled. The chronic stages of infection have been considered dormant, although several studies have found correlations of infection with an array of host behavioral changes. These may facilitate parasite transmission and impact neurological diseases. During infection, in addition to the presence of the parasites within neurons, hostmediated neuroimmune and hormonal responses to infection are also present. T. gondii induces numerous changes to host neurons during infection and globally alters host neurological signaling pathways, as discussed in this review. Understanding the neurophysiological changes in the host brain is imperative to understanding the parasitic mechanisms and to delineate the effects of this single-celled parasite on health and its contribution to neurological disease.

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Sex-dependent toxoplasmosis-associated differences in testosterone concentration in humans

Cited by 134 publications

References 26 publications

The effect of toxoplasmosis on the level of some sex hormones in males blood donors in Baghdad

The effect of toxoplasmosis on the level of some sex hormones in males blood donors in Baghdad

302. Sleep Onset Insomnia, Daytime Sleepiness and Sleep Duration in Relationship to Toxoplasma gondii IgG Seropositivity and Serointensity

Neurophysiological Changes Induced by Chronic <em>Toxoplasma gondii</em> Infection

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