Khademvatan Shahram, Khademvatani Kamal, Tappeh Khosrow H, Asadi Negar, Khezri Peyman, Abasi Esmaeil
Cellulor and Molecular Research Center and Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Ann Parasitol. 2020;66(2):193-199. doi: 10.17420/ap6602.254.
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Infection with T. gondii is one of the most common parasitic diseases in humans and other warm-blooded animals with global distribution and generally, one-third of human populations are estimated to be contaminated with this parasite. The prevalence of infection varies according to age, geographical location and dietary habits. The socioeconomic losses caused by the disease can be costly for the community. Acquired toxoplasmosis is potentially associated with schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, driving accidents, self-injury and suicide. Also, unusual strains of parasite that are genetically different from the rest (atypical strains) are responsible for several cases of lethal acquired parasites in people with safe immunity, which highlights the potential danger of this parasite in public health. As there is no comprehensive study on the association between toxoplasmosis and cardiovascular diseases in Iran, therefore, current study aimed at assessing the relationship between cardiovascular disease and toxoplasmosis among cardiac patients at the Seyyed al-Shohada specialist Cardiology Centre, Urmia, Iran. This study investigated the seropositivity rate for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies by ELISA in patients with cardiovascular diseases. So, 375 patients with cardiovascular diseases and 336 healthy volunteers were selected for this investigation. The seropositivity rate of anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies was significantly higher in cardiovascular patients (63.73%) than in healthy volunteers (37.64%) (P<0.001). Also, a positive association was observed between anti-T. gondii IgG antibody seropositivity and cat contact (P≤0.001, OR: 5.178; 95% CI: 1.97-13.57), consumption of raw or undercooked meat (P≤0.001, OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.15-0.61), and consumption of not boiled milk (P≤0.001, OR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.12-0.54). Our results indicate that T. gondii infection is associated with heart disease and suggest that heart disease might be related with a chronic infection. Risk factors associated with T. gondii exposure found in the present study may help design future prevention strategies against T. gondii infection.
弓形虫病是一种由原生动物寄生虫刚地弓形虫引起的疾病。刚地弓形虫感染是人类和其他温血动物中最常见的寄生虫病之一，在全球范围内均有分布，据估计，全球约三分之一的人口感染了这种寄生虫。感染率因年龄、地理位置和饮食习惯而异。该疾病造成的社会经济损失对社区来说可能代价高昂。获得性弓形虫病可能与精神分裂症、阿尔茨海默病、交通事故、自我伤害和自杀有关。此外，与其他寄生虫在基因上不同的异常寄生虫菌株（非典型菌株）导致了几例免疫功能正常的人致命性获得性寄生虫感染病例，这凸显了这种寄生虫在公共卫生方面的潜在危险。由于伊朗尚未对弓形虫病与心血管疾病之间的关联进行全面研究，因此，本研究旨在评估伊朗乌尔米亚塞义德·阿尔-肖哈达心脏病专科医院心脏病患者中心血管疾病与弓形虫病之间的关系。本研究通过酶联免疫吸附测定法（ELISA）调查了心血管疾病患者抗弓形虫IgG抗体的血清阳性率。因此，本研究选取了375例心血管疾病患者和336名健康志愿者。心血管疾病患者抗弓形虫IgG抗体的血清阳性率（63.73%）显著高于健康志愿者（37.64%）（P<0.001）。此外，还观察到抗刚地弓形虫IgG抗体血清阳性与接触猫（P≤0.001，比值比：5.178；95%置信区间：1.97 - 13.57）、食用生肉或未煮熟的肉（P≤0.001，比值比：0.3；95%置信区间：0.15 - 0.61）以及饮用未煮沸的牛奶（P≤0.001，比值比：0.26，95%置信区间：0.12 - 0.54）之间存在正相关。我们的研究结果表明，刚地弓形虫感染与心脏病有关，并提示心脏病可能与慢性感染有关。本研究中发现的与刚地弓形虫暴露相关的危险因素可能有助于设计未来预防刚地弓形虫感染的策略。
