toxoplasmosis

Given the significant role of chitosan nanoparticles in medicine, the present study aimed to assess the in vivo efficacy of synthesized chitosan nanoparticles coated with thymol (CNCT) in combating Toxoplasma gondii infection.

Mice were administered CNCT orally at dosages ranging from 0.25 to 0.75 mg/kg/day for a duration of 14 days. Following this treatment, they were infected with T. gondii tachyzoites of the Rh strain to induce acute toxoplasmosis. Then, the mortality rate, parasite load, antioxidant activity, and the gene expression level of proinflammatory cytokines were evaluated.

The dimensions of CNTN exhibit variability, with a mean size of 295 nm. The prophylactic administration of CNTN in mice infected with T. gondii resulted in a significant enhancement in survival rates and a considerable decrease in parasite load (P<0.001). The CNTN caused a significant decrease in malondialdehyde level, while a notable increase (P < 0.001) in the activity of the antioxidant enzymes. The feeding the mice infected with CNTN caused a meaningful elevation in the expression level of TNFα- and IL-1β (P<0.001). The biochemical analyses indicated no significant changes in the serum levels of liver and kidney function markers.

The recent study revealed that CNTN demonstrates promising in vivo effects against toxoplasmosis in murine models. These effects are attributed to its antioxidant properties and immunomodulatory capabilities, which increase specific pro-inflammatory cytokines without any noticeable signs of toxicity to liver and kidney function.

Cytokines play an essential role in regulating the interaction of immune cells in diabetes and infections such as toxoplasmosis. The purpose of this study was to examine the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus with toxoplasmosis, and to explore their inter-relationship. Forty patients with diabetes mellitus, including 20 with type 1 and 20 with type 2, as well as 20 healthy subjects, voluntarily participated in the study. Each subject provided 5 mL of peripheral blood for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus who also had toxoplasmosis showed a significant increase in TGF-β levels and a decrease in IL-6 levels. In contrast, patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus displayed a slight increase in IL-6 and IL-17 levels compared to both the patients with type 2 diabetes and the healthy control group. Our findings show an increase in TGF-β and a decrease in IL-6, which may suggest a reduction in inflammation and beta cell destruction in individuals with type 2 diabetes and toxoplasmosis. The elevated serum levels of IL-6 and IL-17 in individuals with type 1 diabetes further support the exacerbation of inflammation.

This study aimed to evaluate the possible effects of Toxoplasma gondiiinfection on breast cancer through affecting the serum and expression gene level of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in breast cancer patients from Thi-Qar province, Iraq.

This case-control study involved 150 patients suffering from breast cancer (BC) who referred to general hospitals of Thi-Qar province between July to September 2023 and 150 healthy patients. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent test (ELISA) kit was used to evaluate the anti-ToxoplasmaIgG and the serum level of PD-1 and PDL-1. Furthermore, the expression level of PD-1 and PDL-1 was measured through Real-time PCR.

Among 150 breast cancer patients, 71 patients (47.3%) and 25 (16.6%) of healthy subjects exhibited seropositivity for anti-T. gondiiIgG antibodies, respectively. We found that the serum level and the gene expression level of PD-1 and PDL-1 were significantly higher among BC patients seropositive for T. gondiicompared with BC patients who were seronegative for T.gondii antibodies (P<0.05).

These results indicated that T. gondii may play an important role in the occurrence and even progression of cancer probably by elevating the levels of PD-1 and PDL-1 genes. However, further studies are required to confirm these findings.

The parasite Toxoplasma gondii infection causes toxoplasmosis. Although it is frequently asymptomatic, primary infection in pregnant women can result in serious and debilitating disease in the fetus. Increased knowledge of the significance of parasite genotype in determining infectivity and illness severity is among recent breakthrough. Interleukin 18 (IL-18) is an essential cytokine in immune response regulation and promotes Th1 and Th2 differentiation as well. This study aims to shed light on the risks of elevated levels of IL-18 in aborted women with toxoplasmosis through evaluate the risk or protective function of alleles or genotypes for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IL-18 (rs 1946519), which may be related to the susceptibility to toxoplasmosis. IL-18 levels in patient and control blood samples were determined using ELISA, and the SNP IL-18 (ra 1946519) was subjected to the high resolution method. The results showed that when compared to healthy pregnant women, the IL-18 serum levels of recurrent abortion with toxoplasmosis, recurrent abortion without toxoplasmosis, and healthy non-pregnant women decreased with significant differences. Additionally, a strong association between patients and controls was found in the SNP IL-18 data. Recurrent abortion women with toxoplasmosis and recurrent abortion women without toxoplasmosis with the genotypes AA and AC had significantly lower IL-18 serum levels than healthy pregnant women, according to the distribution of IL-18 serum levels by SNP. In conclusion, the serum level of IL-18 varied by genotype in patients with substantial differences compared to controls, while the SNP of IL-18 has been linked as a risk factor in toxoplasmosis-infected recurrent abortion women.

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is a globally prevalent parasitic infection that often presents with nonspecific symptoms, making diagnosis challenging, especially in immunocompetent individuals.

We report a case of a 22-year-old immunocompetent male presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy, fever, and flu-like symptoms, initially misdiagnosed as influenza or COVID-19. Despite symptomatic treatment, his condition worsened. Serological testing confirmed acute toxoplasmosis (IgM: 6.64 IU/ml; IgG: 44 IU/ml). Ultrasonography showed hypoechoic cervical lymph nodes, consistent with lymphadenopathy. Treatment with azithromycin, pyrimethamine, and folinic acid for 10 days led to complete symptom resolution.

This case highlights the importance of considering toxoplasmosis in the differential diagnosis of cervical lymphadenopathy, especially in patients with persistent flu-like symptoms. Early serological testing and imaging are crucial for accurate diagnosis and timely intervention. The rapid clinical improvement observed underscores the effectiveness of antiparasitic therapy in immunocompetent individuals. Greater clinician awareness of the diverse presentations of toxoplasmosis is essential to prevent misdiagnosis and optimize patient outcomes.

Demographic characteristics apparently play a critical role in the incidence and prevalence of uveitis in different societies. Numerous studies have investigated the demographic-epidemiological factors and clinical patterns of uveitis in Iran; however, no study has been conducted in the west of the country yet.

To assessed epidemiologic pattern of uveitis in patients residing in the west of Iran.

This study investigated 358 files of uveitis patients referring to the specialized retina-uveitis clinics in a referral hospital in the west of Iran from March 2016 to September 2022. The demographic characteristics, clinical patterns, and complications of uveitis were evaluated in this study.

The uveitis patients’ mean age (± SD) at the diagnosis time was 48.14 (± 11.91) years (18 - 72 years), the patients with anterior uveitis had the lowest mean age (45.47 ± 11.54 years), and the patients with panuveitis had the highest mean age (52.90 ± 10.14 years) at the diagnosis time. The prevalence of the disease was equal in both genders; however, posterior uveitis and panuveitis significantly involved males more than females (P < 0.01 and 0.01 respectively). The most common anatomical pattern of involvement belonged to anterior uveitis (34%), followed by panuveitis (23.4%), posterior uveitis (22.9%), and intermediate uveitis (19.5%). The prevalent etiology in anterior, intermediate, and panuveitis were idiopathic and Toxoplasma chorioretinitis was the most common causes in posterior uveitis (34.14%). Moreover, acute clinical course and non-granulomatous pathology were also more prevalent. The most common complications of the disease were cataracts and cystoid macular edema (CME). Also, patients with panuveitis followed by posterior uveitis had the worse visual prognosis.

The predominant pattern of involvement in patients referring to the referral center in the west of Iran was in the form of anterior uveitis, acute in terms of clinical course, and non-granulomatous in terms of pathology. This clinical view for evaluation in a referral center differs from the pattern expected to be observed in the general population and even in general ophthalmology centers.

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common parasites worldwide. It is of great importance to identify new potential drugs that are effective and less harmful in pregnant women and newborns. We investigated nanoemulsion miltefosine (NEM) in treating experimental acute and chronic toxoplasmosis.

A combination of triacetin, Tween 80, and ethanol (1:2) was used for the development of NEM formulations. The size of NEM was calculated to be 17.463 nm by DLS and TEM. To investigate the performance of miltefosine (MLF), NEM, sulfadiazine (SDZ), and pyrimethamine (PYR) (positive control) in vivo, acute toxoplasmosis was induced in mice by an intraperitoneal injection of RH strain tachyzoites. After five days, the mice were examined for the number and condition of tachyzoites and histopathological changes in the liver and spleen. Chronic toxoplasmosis was investigated in rats and the number and size of brain cysts along with histopathological changes were assessed in different groups.

The results of the in vivo assessment of drugs in acute toxoplasmosis showed the following order regarding a decrease in the number of tachyzoites and an increase in survival rate: SDZ&PYR > NEM > MLF. The effects of drugs on chronic toxoplasmosis showed a significant effect of NEM (50%) on reducing the number of cysts compared to SDZ&PYR (10%) and MLF (12%) and reducing the size of NEM brain cysts (21%) compared to SDZ&PYR (5 %) and MLF (8%).

Increasing the penetration of NEM through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and subsequently reducing the number and size of T. gondii tissue cysts is a promising new drug in treating chronic toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis is a significant zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. This infection can have dire consequences if it occurs during pregnancy, as it may result in spontaneous abortion or congenital disorders. Using serological methods, we investigated the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma infection in female students of childbearing age and also determined the association between Toxoplasma infection and pregnancy.

In this cross-sectional study, blood samples were collected from female students of childbearing age from three provinces in northwest Iran who studied at Maragheh University of Medical Sciences. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies were identified by ELISA and ELFA methods, and the relationship between Toxoplasma infection, demographic characteristics, and risk factors was evaluated.

The ELISA and ELFA serology test results for measuring IgG and IgM, were similar. One hundred cases (28.73%) were positive for Toxo IgG, and 6 cases (1.72%) were positive for Toxo IgM. The results showed that some risk factors, such as contact with cats and activities, such as agriculture or contact with soil, were significantly (P < 0.05) related to T. gondii seropositivity.

More than 70% of the childbearing-age female students studied in this investigation were susceptible to infection during pregnancy, and the performance of regular serological testing during pregnancy and health education about toxoplasmosis before and after gestation is essential to prevent congenital toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite in the world. Pharmaceutical options for toxoplasmosis treatment are limited. Several studies have been conducted on the anti-infectious properties of miltefosine (MLF). We investigated the effectiveness of nanoemulsion miltefosine (NEM) in tachyzoites of T. gondii, RH strain. Various NEM formulations were designed considering pseudo-ternary phase diagrams. Physicochemical properties of the developed nanoemulsions (NEs), including pH, polydispersity index (PDI), droplet size, and refractive index (RI) were evaluated. The considered formulation was analyzed for dilution and stability tests. MTT assay was performed on Vero cells for calculation CC50 and on Vero cells with RH strain tachyzoite for calculation IC50. Sulfadiazine (SDZ) and pyrimethamine (PYR) were positive controls. The trypan blue method was used to investigate the effect of drugs (NEM, MLF, SDZ, PYR) in reducing the number of infected Vero cells and reducing the intracellular proliferation of tachyzoites. Next, the viability of tachyzoites was measured in the tube in the direct vicinity of different drug concentrations. The final particle size of NEM was calculated to be 17.463 nm by DLS and TEM. The CC50 of NEM (75.7 µg/mL) indicated lower toxicity than the other drugs. IC50 obtained by trypan blue, MTT, and test tube methods showed that NEM (28.43 µg/mL) has a suitable IC50 against Toxoplasma tachyzoites. The calculated selectivity index (SI) demonstrated that NEM (SI=2.66) is a more suitable drug candidate than the MLF and positive controls. The trypan blue assay indicated the excellent reduction effect of NEM on T. gondii intracellular proliferation rate and the number of infected cells.

Toxoplasmosis could lead to serious outcomes during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to investigate serologic toxoplasmosis in three groups of women according to number of sexual partners.

The frequency of anti-Toxoplasma IgG from 471 women (101 virgin girls, 240 married women and 130 multi partner women) were determined by ELISA method from referred participant to medical centers of Tehran, Iran in 2020. The results were analyzed by chi-square and logistic regression tests.

Prevalence of toxoplasmosis was significant with the number of sexual partner according to chi square test (P<0.001) and the highest one was observed in multi partners’ women (56.2%) and the lowest one in virgin girls (17.8%). ORs of virgin girls and multi partners’ women were 0.594 and 3.758 respectively, compared to married women. The effect of age on the frequency of anti-Toxoplasma IgG in married women was significant but it was not significant in multi partners’ women. In addition to IgG frequency in married women and multi partners’ women had no significant relationship with the number of children.

Having sexual activity after marriage and having multi partner in sexual activity may possibly be a novel risk factor for toxoplasmosis infection or increasing the IgG frequency.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease pandemic and a major global health problem that can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Previous studies have shown an inverse link between toxoplasmosis and COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the association between COVID-19 and toxoplasmosis infection.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, samples were taken from 360 patients, 50% of whom were men and 50% were women. Of the patients, 180 were determined to be COVID-19-positive by the ELISA kit, and 180 were in the control group. Some demographic characteristics, such as sex, age range, and occupation, were also recorded.

This study was conducted on 180 COVID-19-positive patients, of whom 26.7% were in the 16-30-year age group, 25.1% were self-employed, and 31.7% had anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. Among the 180 control patients, 21.1% had antibodies for T. gondii. Of the 57 patients who were co-infected with both COVID-19 and toxoplasmosis, men had higher infection rates (63.2%) than women (36.8%). There was a significant relationship between co-infections with COVID-19 and toxoplasmosis with occupation, but not with age.

The study found that people with toxoplasmosis infection have a 1.73 times higher risk of contracting COVID-19. The findings suggest that infectious agents could be a predisposing factor, possibly due to changes in cytokine levels.

The current study was conducted in Maysan province, Southern Iraq. Blood samples were collected from 174 individuals (male and female), from December 2020 to May 2021. ELISA was used to calculate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii by determining the levels of anti-toxoplasma IgM and IgG, as well as the levels of dopamine and adrenaline in the participants' blood. The overall seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in Amarah city is 52.3%. In regards to the seropositive cases, there is 32.97% positive to IgM, 38.46% is positive IgG, and 28.57% is positive to both IgM + IgG. The level mean of dopamine in toxoplasmosis-seropositive cases is 2.9543x10-2 mg ml-1, which is higher than that of negative cases (1.8086x10-2 mg ml-1). There are statistically significant differences (p<0.05) between the levels of dopamine in toxoplasmosis-seropositive and negative cases. The mean level of adrenaline in toxoplasmosis-seropositive cases is 2.8752x10-2 mg ml-1. Which is higher than that of negative cases (1.3670x10-2 mg ml-1), there is a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between its levels in toxoplasmosis-seropositive and negative cases.

Formononetin (FMN) is a natural isoflavone found in many plants. This work examined the anti-Toxoplasma effects and cytotoxicity properties of FMN on Toxoplasma gondii.

Effects of FMN (2-64 μg/mL) on tachyzoites forms were measured by cell viability assay for 48 hours. The effects of different concentrations of FMN on infectivity rate, intracellular parasites, and nitric oxide (NO) in macrophage cells (J774-A1) were also evaluated.

FMN markedly (P < 0.001) reduced the viability rate of tachyzoites forms with an IC50 value of 9.85 μg/mL. FMN also declined the rate of intracellular tachyzoites whereas, FMN increased the FMN production in macrophage cells.

The results of the present in vitro study revealed the favorable anti-Toxoplasma effects of FMN against tachyzoites and intracellular forms of T. gondii. Although the accurate anti-Toxoplasma mechanisms of FMN are not clear, our results showed that triggering the NO production might be considered one of the main mechanism actions of FMN for controlling and eliminating T. gondii. However, further surveys are mandatory to assess the effects of FMN in animal models and to evaluate its accurate mechanism actions before its use in clinical phase.

Infectious agents are considered as a possible cause of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of cytomegalovirus (CMV), Toxoplasma gondii and Brucella antibodies in schizophrenia patients compared with the control group.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 75 patients with schizophrenia who were clinically diagnosed with schizophrenia using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by two independent psychiatrists. As the controls, 75 sex and age-matched individuals were selected from orthopedic and surgical wards, who were admitted because of trauma. Anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibody was detected by Abbott's company diagnostic kit. To detect anti-Brucella IgG antibodies, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test with Vircell diagnostic kit was used. Quantitative luminescence (CLIA) method using Abbott diagnostic kit was also used to detect anti-cytomegalovirus IgG antibody (CMV IgG avidity).

There was not any clinically significant differences in the mean value of Toxoplasma, CMV and Brucella IgG antibodies between schizophrenia and control group. However, considering cut-off point for these tests and further analysis with non-parametric tests showed clinically significant difference between two groups at cut-off point 1.1 for anti-Brucella IgG antibody which indicated more positive samples in schizophrenia group (24 out of 75) than control group (12 out of 75) with a p-value less than 0.05 (0.046).

The results of the present study showed no association between toxoplasmosis infection and CMV and schizophrenia. However, there might be a positive correlation between anti-Brucella IgG antibody and schizophrenia.