Toxoplasma gondii: An Underestimated Threat?

Milne, Gregory; Webster, Joanne P.; Walker, Martin

doi:10.1016/j.pt.2020.08.005

Cited by 136 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…gondii also modifies the level of a vast of other neurotransmitters, including glutamate, serotonin, norepinephrine, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). 9 The link between schizophrenia and T. gondii seems to be vigorous, as evidenced by numerous seroprevalence and neurotransmitter studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii Infection by Serological and Molecular Methods in Schizophrenia Patients with and without Suicide Attempts: An Age-Sex-Matched Case-Control Study

Akgül¹,

Demirel

Aksoy

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Introduction: The opinion that latent T. gondii infection is having a broadly asymptomatic projection has now been interrogated, in specific due to the echoed association between the latent infection and an elevated incidence of schizophrenia or even suicide attempts. Notwithstanding conducted studies aimed to understand this feasible link are restricted. Methods: In the present case-control study, we focused to illuminate the relationship between the serological and molecular presence of T. gondii and schizophrenia with or without the suicide attempts by comparing it with healthy individuals. A total of 237 participants (117 in schizophrenia; 120 in healthy control) were included in this study. Results: Overall, latent T. gondii infections were found statistically higher in 63 (53.8%) of the 117 patients with schizophrenia and in 33 (27.5%) of the 120 controls (p < 0.001). In schizophrenia patients, seroprevalence T. gondii was again found to be statistically higher in suicide attempters (59.6%), compared to no history of suicide attempts (48.3%) (p < 0.05). The molecular positivity rate of T. gondii DNA was higher in the schizophrenia group, compared to the healthy control group (p < 0.05), whereas the history of suicide attempts was not statistically associated (p = 0.831) with T. gondii DNA positivity by PCR. Conclusion: This case-control study enlightens additional demonstration to the belief that T. gondii infection would be an underlying component for the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Regardless of the clarity results of this study, this supposition warrants further endorsement.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii Infection by Serological and Molecular Methods in Schizophrenia Patients with and without Suicide Attempts: An Age-Sex-Matched Case-Control Study

Akgül¹,

Demirel

Aksoy

et al. 2021

Preprint

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show abstract

“…The infection is considered to be an opportunistic and life-threatening disease in immunocompromised people, pregnant women, and newborns. Primary T. gondii infection during pregnancy can result in congenital toxoplasmosis with abortion, neonatal death, chorioretinitis, and neurological disorders in neonates [116]. In immunosuppressed patients, the involvement of many organs and systems can occur following the infection.…”

Section: Toxoplasma Gondiimentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathomechanisms in the Kidneys in Selected Protozoan Parasitic Infections

Kot

Łanocha-Arendarczyk

Ptak

et al. 2021

IJMS

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Leishmaniasis, malaria, toxoplasmosis, and acanthamoebiasis are protozoan parasitic infections. They remain important contributors to the development of kidney disease, which is associated with increased patients’ morbidity and mortality. Kidney injury mechanisms are not fully understood in protozoan parasitic diseases, bringing major difficulties to specific therapeutic interventions. The aim of this review is to present the biochemical and molecular mechanisms in kidneys infected with Leishmania spp., Plasmodium spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Acanthamoeba spp. We present available mechanisms of an immune response, oxidative stress, apoptosis process, hypoxia, biomarkers of renal injury in the serum or urine, and the histopathological changes of kidneys infected with the selected parasites. Pathomechanisms of Leishmania spp. and Plasmodium spp. infections have been deeply investigated, while Toxoplasma gondii and Acanthamoeba spp. infections in the kidneys are not well known yet. Deeper knowledge of kidney involvement in leishmaniasis and malaria by presenting their mechanisms provides insight into how to create novel and effective treatments. Additionally, the presented work shows gaps in the pathophysiology of renal toxoplasmosis and acanthamoebiasis, which need further research.

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“…Human infection with the obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii has been considered an underestimated threat (1,2). People become infected with T. gondii by eating undercooked contaminated meat or ingestion of oocysts shed by infected cats (3).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative Peptidomics of Mouse Brain After Infection With Cyst-Forming Toxoplasma gondii

et al. 2021

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Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite capable of establishing persistent infection within the host brain and inducing severe neuropathology. Peptides are important native molecules responsible for a wide range of biological functions within the central nervous system. However, peptidome profiling in host brain during T. gondii infection has never been investigated. Using a label-free peptidomics approach (LC–MS/MS), we identified a total of 2,735 endogenous peptides from acutely infected, chronically infected and control brain samples following T. gondii infection. Quantitative analysis revealed 478 and 344 significantly differentially expressed peptides (DEPs) in the acute and chronic infection stages, respectively. Functional analysis of DEPs by Gene Ontology suggested these DEPs mainly originated from cell part and took part in cellular process. We also identified three novel neuropeptides derived from the precursor protein cholecystokinin. These results demonstrated the usefulness of quantitative peptidomics in determining bioactive peptides and elucidating their functions in the regulation of behavior modification during T. gondii infection.

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Toxoplasma gondii: An Underestimated Threat?

Cited by 136 publications

References 70 publications

Toxoplasma gondii Infection by Serological and Molecular Methods in Schizophrenia Patients with and without Suicide Attempts: An Age-Sex-Matched Case-Control Study

Toxoplasma gondii Infection by Serological and Molecular Methods in Schizophrenia Patients with and without Suicide Attempts: An Age-Sex-Matched Case-Control Study

Pathomechanisms in the Kidneys in Selected Protozoan Parasitic Infections

Quantitative Peptidomics of Mouse Brain After Infection With Cyst-Forming Toxoplasma gondii

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