Is Toxoplasmosis a risk factor in diabetic patients in Tehran?

Toxoplasmosis is a cosmopolitan zoonotic disease caused by an obligate apicomplexan intracellular parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). Recently, toxoplasmosis has been suggested as a risk factor for diabetes. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the association between T. gondii infection and two types of diabetes in Tehran, the capital of Iran.

In the current cross-sectional study, 98, 95, and 94 blood samples were collected from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic individuals, referring to Imam Sajad hospital from February to August 2018, respectively. Anti-T. gondii specific IgG and IgM antibodies were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, a structured demographic questionnaire was completed for each person.

IgG antibody was found to be positive in 16.32 (16 of 98) and 57.89% (55 of 95) of patients with diabetes Type 1 and Type 2 and 17.02% (16 of 94) of nondiabetic individuals as controls, respectively. However, the prevalence of positive IgM antibody in these groups was determined as 2.04 (2 of 98), 6.32 (6 of 95), and 17.02 % (16 of 94), respectively.

This finding revealed that toxoplasmosis could be considered as a possible risk factor for diabetes Type 2, while no statistically significant association was found between T. gondii infection and diabetes Type 1.  More research is required to be conducted in the future in order to better understand this association.