The effect of infection with Toxoplasma gondii in inducing interferon-gamma in breast cancer patients

Toxoplasmosis is among the most pervasive zoonotic illnesses in the world. Human infection rates range from 10% to 80% in many countries. Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy are more susceptible to developing acute forms of toxoplasmosis, which can cause brain defects, neurological damage, and encephalitis. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of infection with Toxoplasma gondii in inducing interferon-gamma in breast cancer patients from Iraq. This cross-sectional descriptive work was carried out on women who were suffering from breast cancer referring to Al-Haboubi Teaching Hospital in Nasiriya City-Thi-Qar province (Iraq) during the period extended from January to September 2022. About 3 mL of blood was obtained from all participants and sera were collected. Sera were then tested using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits of Toxoplasma IgM, IgG, and IFN-γ (Nova Tec Immunodiagnostica GmbH, Germany) according to the manufacturer’s protocols. Before blood collection, a printed questionnaire with some demographical information, e.g., age and residence, was completed for participants. The total number of positive patients for T. gondii infection from breast cancer patients in the current study was 60 (85.7%). The results of the analyzing specimens by ELISA test revealed that 85.7% and 74.2% of the patients were positive for IgG and IgM, respectively. The mean level of IFN-γ in breast cancer patients with toxoplasmosis, without toxoplasmosis, and control group was 47.66, 0.00, and 0.57 pg/mL, respectively. Higher IgG and interferon-gamma levels were found in the group of breast cancer patients with toxoplasmosis compared to the group without. According to the ELISA findings, T. gondii was the most common parasite among cancer patients.