Toxoplasma gondii Exposure and the Risk of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a major psychiatric disorder with a deeply destructive pathophysiology. There are evidences to indicate that infectious agents such as Toxoplasma gondii may play some roles in etiology of the disorder.. The current study aimed to determine the association between T. gondii exposure and the risk of schizophrenia.. T. gondii IgG antibodies of 100 patients with schizophrenia as well as 200 healthy volunteers were assessed. The subjects also completed demographic questionnaires. Data was analyzed using the chi-square and Fisher exact tests.. The analyses confirmed the significant differences between healthy women and ones with schizophrenia (P = 0.001) as well as between males and females with schizophrenia (P = 0.009) in IgG positivity.. The present study supported the contamination with T. gondii as a risk factor for schizophrenia just in women..