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Title:   Author  item
                                            ALVARADO-ESQUIVEL, COSME - Juarez University Of The State Of Durangoitem
                                            URBINA-ALVAREZ, ESUS DAVID - Collaboratoritem
                                            ESTRADA-MARTINEZ, SERGIOFANNY ANI - Juarez University Of The State Of Durangoitem
                                            TORRES-CASTORENA, ALEJANDRO - Mexican Social Security Instituteitem
                                            MOLOTLA-DE-LEON, GABRIEL - Secretariat Of Healthitem
                                            LIESENFELD, OLIVER - Charite' University Hospital Berlinitem
                                            Dubey, Jitender
  Submitted to: Parasitology International
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2011
                                    Publication  Date: 5/1/2011
                                    Citation: Alvarado-Esquivel, C., Urbina-Alvarez, E., Estrada-Martinez, S., Torres-Castorena, A., Molotla-De-Leon, G., Liesenfeld, O., Dubey, J.P. 2011. Toxoplasmosis gondii and schizophrenia: a case control study in a low Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence Mexican population. Parasitology International. 60:151-155.Interpretive Summary: Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite of all warm-blooded hosts worldwide. It causes mental retardation and loss of vision in children, and abortion in livestock. Cats are the main reservoir of T. gondii because they are the only hosts that can excrete the resistant stage (oocyst) of the parasite in the feces. Humans become infected by eating undercooked meat from infected animals and food and water contaminated with oocysts. Why some people become sick whereas others do not is not clear. In the present study scientists document higher Seroprevalence of T. gondii antibodies in schizophrenic  patients than in the controls. The results will be of interest to biologists, parasitologists, and public health workers.
                                Technical Abstract: There are conflicting reports concerning the association of T. gondii infection and schizophrenia. Therefore, we determined such association in a Mexican population of Mestizo ethnicity. Through a case-control study design, 50 schizophrenic patients and 150 control subjects matched by gender, age, residence place, and ethnicity were examined with enzyme-linked immunoassays for the presence and levels of T. gondii IgG  and IgM antibodies. Schizophrenic patients attended a public psychiatric hospital in Durango City, Mexico, and the control group consisted of individuals of the general population of the same city. Socio-demographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics from the study subjects were also obtained. Seroprevalence of T. gondii IgG antibodies was significantly higher in schizophrenic patients (10/50; 20%) than in control subjects (8/150; 5.3%) (OR = 4.44; 95% CI: 1.49-13.37; P=0.003). Anti-T. gondii IgG levels higher than 150 IU/ml were more frequently observed in patients than in controls (10% vs 2%, respectively; P=0.02). One of two patients with recently diagnosed schizophrenia and none of the controls had anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies (P=0.01). Toxoplasma seropositivity in patients was associated with cleaning cat excrement (P=0.005), and with simple schizophrenia (ICD-10 classification: F20.6) (P=0.03). Toxoplasma seroprevalence was significantly higher in patients with simple schizophrenia (F20.6) than in those with paranoid schizophrenia (F20.0) (P=0.02). This is the first report of an association of simple schizophrenia (F20.6) and T. gondii infection.


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