Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Psychiatry Department- Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Acta Trop. 2024 Aug;256:107263. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107263. Epub 2024 May 18.
Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite infecting around one-third of the global population, has been linked to neurological disorders like schizophrenia. Abnormal dopamine levels are linked to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, but their association remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between T. gondii seroprevalence and dopamine serum levels in schizophrenic patients in Egypt. This case-control study included 93 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 93 individuals as controls. T. gondii seroprevalence was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Dopamine serum levels were measured using ELISA. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were also collected. The study found a higher prevalence of T. gondii IgG antibodies in patients with schizophrenia (68 %) compared to controls (46.2 %). Contact with cats, sausage consumption, and undercooked meat were identified as possible risk factors associated with T. gondii infection. The mean level of serum dopamine was significantly (P < 0.001) higher in patients with schizophrenia (115.3 Pg/ml ±31.8) compared to the control group (75.02 Pg/ml ±26.5). The study found that schizophrenic patients with T. gondii seropositivity had significantly higher dopamine serum levels (mean=145.2 ± 32.1 pg/ml) than those without T. gondii seropositivity (mean=122.5 ± 29.7 pg/ml) (p = 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that T. gondii seropositivity was a significant predictor of increased dopamine serum levels in schizophrenic patients (odds ratio=3.4, 95 % confidence interval=1.8-6.4, p < 0.001). The study suggests that T. gondii seroprevalence may increase dopamine serum levels in Egyptian schizophrenic patients, potentially contributing to dopamine dysregulation in schizophrenia, but further research is needed to confirm these findings and investigate the underlying mechanisms.
刚地弓形虫，一种感染全球约三分之一人口的寄生虫，与精神分裂症等神经紊乱有关。异常的多巴胺水平与精神分裂症的病理生理学有关，但它们之间的关联尚不清楚。本研究旨在调查埃及精神分裂症患者中弓形虫血清阳性率与多巴胺血清水平之间的关系。这项病例对照研究包括 93 名被诊断为精神分裂症的患者和 93 名作为对照的个体。使用酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）确定弓形虫血清阳性率。使用 ELISA 测量多巴胺血清水平。还收集了社会人口统计学和临床特征。研究发现，精神分裂症患者中弓形虫 IgG 抗体的阳性率（68%）高于对照组（46.2%）。与猫接触、食用香肠和未煮熟的肉被确定为与弓形虫感染相关的可能危险因素。精神分裂症患者的血清多巴胺平均水平明显更高（P<0.001）（115.3 Pg/ml ±31.8）与对照组（75.02 Pg/ml ±26.5）。研究发现，弓形虫血清阳性的精神分裂症患者的多巴胺血清水平明显更高（平均=145.2 ± 32.1 pg/ml），而弓形虫血清阴性的患者（平均=122.5 ± 29.7 pg/ml）（p=0.001）。逻辑回归分析显示，弓形虫血清阳性是精神分裂症患者多巴胺血清水平升高的一个显著预测因子（比值比=3.4，95%置信区间=1.8-6.4，p<0.001）。该研究表明，弓形虫血清阳性率可能会增加埃及精神分裂症患者的多巴胺血清水平，从而导致精神分裂症中多巴胺失调，但需要进一步的研究来证实这些发现并探讨潜在的机制。
