Toxoplasmosis: myths and reality


DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/epidem.2024.14.3.83-8

Ermak T.N.

Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russia
The article presents an overview of publications devoted to the study of the supposed connection between the causative agent of toxoplasmosis and mental disorders. The results of studies that gave rise to myths about toxoplasmosis in scientific literature and the media are discussed.

Literature


1. Lafferty K.D. Can the common brain parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, influence human culture? Proc. Biol. Sci. 2006; 273: 2749–55. DOI: 10.1098/ rspb.2006.3641


2. House P.K., Vyas A., Sapolsky R. Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of Toxoplasma gondii infected rats. PLoS One 2011; 6(8): e23277. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023277


3. Flegr J., Lenochová P., Hodný Z., Vondrová M. Fatal attraction phenomenon in humans — cat odour attractiveness increased for Toxoplasma-infected men while decreased for infected women. PLOS Negl. Trop. Dis. 2011; 5(11): e1389. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001389


4. Flegr J., Havlícek J. Changes in the personality profile of young women with latent toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. (Praha) 1999; 46(1): 22–8. PMID: 10353191


5. Hanauer D.A., Ramakrishnan N., Seyfried L.S. Describing the relationship between cat bites and human depression using data from an electronic health record. PLoS One 2013; 8(8): e70585. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070585


6. Flegr J., Preiss M., Klose J., Havlícek J., Vitáková M., Kodym P. Decreased level of psychobiological factor novelty seeking and lower intelligence in men latently infected with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii Dopamine, a missing link between schizophrenia and toxoplasmosis? Biol. Psychol. 2003; 63(3): 253–68. DOI: 10.1016/s0301-0511(03)00075-9


7. Flegr J. How and why toxoplasma makes us crazy. Trends Parasitol. 2013; 29(4): 156–63. DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2013.01.007


8. Romanov D., Brazhnikov A.Yu., Andreyuk D.S., Zakharova N.V., Bravve L.V., Kovaleva V. et al. Schizophrenia and Toxoplasmosis: Association with Catatonic Symptoms Consortium Psychiatricum 2020; 1(1): 22–9. DOI: 10.17650/2712-7672-2020-1-1-22-29


9. Holub D., Flegr J., Dragomirecká E., Rodriguez M., Preiss M., Novák T. et al. Differences in onset of disease and severity of psychopathology between toxoplasmosis-related and toxoplasmosis-unrelated schizophrenia. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 2013; 127(3): 227–38. DOI: 10.1111/acps.12031


10. Kamal A.M., Kamal A.M., Abd El-Fatah A.S., Rizk M., Hassan E.E. Latent Toxoplasmosis is Associated with Depression and Suicidal Behavior. Arch. Suicide Res. 2022; 26(2): 819–30. DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2020.1838368


11. Flegr J., Havlícek J., Kodym P., Malý M., Smahel Z. Increased risk of traffic accidents in subjects with latent toxoplasmosis: a retrospective case-control study. BMC Infect. Dis. 2002; (2): 11. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-2-11.


12. Flegr J., Klose J., Novotna M., Berenreitterova M., Havlicek J. Increased incidence of traffic accidents in Toxoplasma-infected military drivers and protective effect RhD molecule revealed by a large-scale prospective cohort study. BMC Infect. Dis. 2009; (9): 72. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-9-72


13. Kocazeybek B., Oner Y.A., Turksoy R., Babur C., Cakan H., Sahip N. et al. Higher prevalence of toxoplasmosis in victims of traffic accidents suggest increased risk of traffic accident in oxoplasma-infected inhabitants of Istanbul and its suburbs. Forensic Sci. Int. 2009; 187(1–3): 103–8. DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.03.007


14. Galvan-Ramirez M.L, Sanchez-Orozco L.V., Rodriguez S., Roig-Melo E., Troyo Sanroman R., Chinquete E. et al. Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection in drivers involved in road traffic accidents in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Parasit. Vectors 2013; 6(1): 294. DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-294


15. Gohardehi S., Sharif M., Sarvi S., Moosazadeh M., Alizadeh-Navaei R., Hosseini S.A. et al. The potential risk of toxoplasmosis for traffic accidents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Exp. Parasitol. 2018; 191: 19–24. DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2018.06.003


16. Johnson S.K., Johnson P.T.J. Toxoplasmosis: Recent Advances in Understanding the Link Between Infection and Host Behavior Annu. Rev. Anim. Biosci. 2021; (9): 249–64. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-081720-111125


17. Ling V.J., Lester D., Mortensen P.B., Langenberg P.W., Postolache T.T. Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and suicide rates in women. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 2011; 199(7): 440–44. DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e318221416e


18. Yuksel P., Alpay N., Babur C., Bayar R., Saribas S., Karakose A.R. et al. The role of latent toxoplasmosis in the aetiopathogenesis of schizophrenia – the risk factor or an indication of a contact with cat? Folia Parasitologica 2010; 57(2): 121–8 DOI: 10.14411/fp.2010.015


19. Dickerson F., Boronow J., Stallings C., Origoni A., Yolken R. Toxoplasma gondii in individuals with schizophrenia: association with clinical and demographic factors and with mortality. Schizophr. Bull. 2007; 33(3): 737–40. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbm005


20. Borráz-León J.I., Rantala M.J., Krams I.A., Cerda-Molina A.L., Contreras-Garduño J. Are Toxoplasma-infected subjects more attractive, symmetrical, or healthier than non-infected ones? Peer J. 2022; 10(5): e13122. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13122


21. Степанова E.В., Кондрашин А.В., Максимова М.С., Турбабина Н.А., Морозова Л.Ф., Морозов Е.Н. и др. Латентный хронический токсоплазмоз и шизофрения. Медицинская паразитология и паразитарные болезни 2019; (1): 18–24. DOI: 10.33092/0025-8326mp2019.1.18-24


Stepanova E.V., Kondrashin A.V., Maksimova M.S., Turbabina N.A., Morozova L.F. Morozov E.N. et al. [Latent chronic toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia]. Medical parasitology and parasitic diseases 2019; (1): 18–24. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.33092/0025-8326mp2019.1.18-24


22. Аббазова Е.В., Гончаров Д.Б., Зоркина Я.А., Баранец М.С., Ракова А.С., Романов Д.В. и др. Токсоплазмоз у пациентов c шизофренией. Материалы XVI Ежегодного Всероссийского Конгресса по инфекционным болезням имени академика В.И. Покровского, 25–27 марта 2024 г. М.: Московское маркетинговое агентство; 2024. 250


Abbazova E.V., Goncharov D.B., Zorkina Ya.A., Baranets M.S., Rakova A.S., Romanov D.V. et al. [Toxoplasmosis in patients with schizophrenia. Materials of the XVI Annual All-Russian Congress on Infectious Diseases named after Academician V.I. Pokrovsky, 25–27 March 2024]. Moscow: Moscow Marketing Agency, 2024. 250 с. (In Russ.).


23. Stepanova E.V., Kondrashin A.V., Sergiev V.P., Morozova L.F., Turbabina N.A., Maksimova M.S. et al. Significance of chronic toxoplasmosis in epidemiology of road traffic accidents in Russian Federation Published. РLoS One 2017; 12(9): e0184930. DOI: 10.1371/journal. pone.0184930


24. Bayani M., Riahi S.M., Bazrafshan N., Gamble H.R.., Rostami A. Toxoplasma gondii infection and risk of Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis on observational studies. Acta Trop. 2019; 196: 165–71. DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.05.015


25. Alvarado-Esquivel C., Méndez-Hernández E.M., Salas-Pacheco J.M., Ruano-Calderón L.Á., Hernández-Tinoco J., Arias-Carrión O. et al. Toxoplasma gondii exposure and Parkinson›s disease: a case-control study. BMJ Open. 2017; 7(2): e013019. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013019


26. Abdollahi A., Razavian I., Razavian E., Ghodsian S., Almukhtar M., Marhoommirzabak E. et al. Toxoplasma gondii infection/exposure and the risk of brain tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cancer Epidemiol. 2022; 77: 102119. DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2022.102119


27. Johnson S.K., Fitza M.A., Lerner D.A., Calhoun D.M., Beldon M.A., Chan E.T. et al. Risky business: linking Toxoplasma gondii infection and entrepreneurship behaviours across individuals and countries. Proc. Biol. Sci. 2018; 285(1883): 20180822. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0822


28. Lerner D.A., Alkærsig L., Fitza M.A., Lomberg C., Johnson S.K. Nothing ventured, nothing gained: Parasite infection is associated with entrepreneurial initiation, engagement, and performance. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 2021; 45(1): 118–44. DOI: 10.1177/1042258719890992


29. Flegr J., Klapilová K., Kaňková Š. Toxoplasmosis can be a sexually transmitted infection with serious clinical consequences. Not all routes of infection are created equal. Med. Hypotheses 2014; 83(3): 286–9. DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2014.05.019


30. Hlaváčová J., Flegr J., Řežábek K., Calda P., Kaňková Š. Male-to-Female Presumed Transmission of Toxoplasmosis Between Sexual Partners. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2021; 190(3): 386–92. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwaa198


31. Tong W.H., Ullmann J., Abdulai-Saiku S., Vyas A., Kaňková Š., Flegr J. et al. Presence of Toxoplasma gondii tissue cysts in human semen: Toxoplasmosis as a potential sexually transmissible infection. J. Infect. 2023; 86(1): 60–5. DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2022.10.034


32. Kaňková Š., Ullmann J., Flegr J. Oral sex: A new, and possibly the most dangerous, route of toxoplasmosis transmission. Med. Hypotheses 2020; 141(12–13): 109725. DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109725


33. Calero-Bernal R., Gennari S.M., Cano S., Salas-Fajardo M.Y. Anti-Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies in European Residents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Studies Published between 2000 and 2020. Pathogens 2023; 12(12): 1430. DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12121430


34. Tadrds W., Laarman J. Current concepts on the biology, evolution and taxonomy of tissue cyst-forming eimeriid coccidia. Adv. Parasitol. 1982; 20: 293–468. DOI: 10.1016/S0065-308X(08)60540-0


35. Dubey J.P. Review of «Toxoplasmosis of Animals and Humans (Second Edition)» by J.P. Dubey Parasites and Vectors 2010; (3): 112. DOI:10.1186/1756-3305-3-112


36. Flegr J., Prandota J., Sovičková M., Israili Z.H. Toxoplasmosis – A Global Threat. Correlation of Latent Toxoplasmosis with Specific Disease Burden in a Set of 88 Countries. PLoS One 2014; (9): e90203.


DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090203


37. Tenter A.M., Heckeroth A.R., Weiss L.M. Toxoplasma gondii: from animals to humans. Int. J. Parasitol. 2000; 30(12–13): 1217–58. DOI: 10.1016/s0020-7519(00)00124-7


38. Ten Hoeve A.L., Braun L, Rodriguez M.E., Olivera G.C., Bougdour A., Belmudes L. et al. The Toxoplasma effector GRA28 promotes parasite dissemination by inducing dendritic cell-like migratory properties in infected macrophages. Cell Host. Microbe 2022; 30(11): 1570–88.e7. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2022.10.001


39. Orchanian S.B., Still K., Harris T.H., Lodoen M.B. Deficiency in astrocyte CCL2 production reduces neuroimmune control of Toxoplasma gondii infection. PLoS Pathog. 2024; 20(1): e1011710. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011710


40. Orchanian S.B., Lodoen M.B. Monocytes as primary defenders against Toxoplasma gondii infection. Trends Parasitol. 2023; 39(10): 837–49. https://DOI.org/10.1016/j.pt.2023.07.007


41. Sana M., Rashid M., Rashid I., Akbar H., Gomez-Marin J.E., Dimier-Poisson I. Toxoplasma gondii immune response. Int. J. Immunopathol. Pharmacol, 2022; 36: 3946320221078436. DOI: 10.1177/03946320221078436


42. Torrey E.F., Yolken R.H. Тoxoplasma oocysts as a public health problem. Trends Parasitol. 2013; 29(8): 380–4. DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2013.06.001


43. Вызывает ли токсоплазмоз шизофрению? Портал «Научная Россия». 16.02.2019. https://scientificrussia.ru/https://scientificrussia.ru/articles/vyzyvaet-li-toksoplazmoz-shizofreniyu


44. Sugden K., Moffitt T.E., Pinto L., Poulton R., Williams B.S., Caspi A. Is Toxoplasma gondii Infection Related to Brain and Behavior Impairments in Humans? Evidence from a Population-Representative Birth Cohort. PloS One 2016; 11(2): e0148435. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148435


45. Ioannidis J.P.A. Correction: Why Most Published Research Findings Are False. PLOS Medicine 2022; 19(8): e1004085. DOI: 10.1371/ journal.pmed.1004085


46. McAuliffe K. How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/мarch 2012


About the Autors


Tatiana N. Ermak, MD, Leading Research, Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russia; t.ermak@hiv-russia.ru


Similar Articles


Бионика Медиа