Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
Mansoura University Children Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt.
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2018 Dec 1;112(12):555-560. doi: 10.1093/trstmh/try100.
Toxoplasma gondii is a global infection with a crucial role in the development of neurological diseases. Data concerning the association between T. gondii and neurological illnesses in Egyptian children is scarce.
A case-control study was conducted on 60 patients divided into children suffering from central nervous system manifestations without apparent chromosomal anomalies (n=30) and children with Down syndrome (n=30) recruited from Mansoura University Children's Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt. A total of 30 healthy children were included as controls. Demographics and clinical data were collected from all cases and Toxoplasma immunoglobulin (Ig) M and G antibodies were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Anti-T. gondii IgG was the most frequent antibody detected and the highest seropositivity rates were ranked for the neurologically disabled non-syndromic children, followed by Down syndrome, compared with controls (p≤0.001). Statistically significant (p=0.05) associations were found between Toxoplasma IgG seropositivity and hydrocephalus and between Toxoplasma IgM and a history of contact with farm animals, soil and cats in children with Down syndrome.
The association between Toxoplasma infection and neurological disorders in children should be kept in mind by paediatricians and assessment of T. gondii antibodies in early childhood is needed for timely management of afflicted patients.
刚地弓形虫是一种全球性感染，在神经疾病的发展中起着关键作用。关于埃及儿童弓形虫与神经疾病之间关联的数据很少。
对来自埃及曼苏拉大学儿童医院的 60 名患者进行了病例对照研究，这些患者分为患有中枢神经系统表现且无明显染色体异常的儿童（n=30）和唐氏综合征儿童（n=30）。共有 30 名健康儿童作为对照组。从所有病例中收集了人口统计学和临床数据，并通过酶联免疫吸附试验评估了弓形虫免疫球蛋白（Ig）M 和 G 抗体。
抗弓形虫 IgG 是最常检测到的抗体，神经功能障碍的非综合征儿童的血清阳性率最高，其次是唐氏综合征，与对照组相比（p≤0.001）。在唐氏综合征儿童中，弓形虫 IgG 血清阳性与脑积水之间以及弓形虫 IgM 与接触农场动物、土壤和猫之间存在统计学显著关联（p=0.05）。
儿科医生应牢记弓形虫感染与儿童神经疾病之间的关联，需要在儿童早期评估弓形虫抗体，以便及时对患病患者进行管理。
