Toxoplasmosis in a Cohort of Italian Patients With Bipolar and Psychotic Disorders: How Infection May Affect Clinical Features?

J Nerv Ment Dis. 2020 Feb;208(2):118-126. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001102.

Abstract

This study investigated the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in a cohort of 101 Italian inpatients affected by mood or schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and compared clinical features between seronegative and seropositive subjects. Patients diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria underwent clinical assessments and blood collection to test parasite-specific IgG/IgM serum levels. Twenty-eight patients (27.7%) had IgG anti-T. gondii, and none had IgM antibodies. We found higher prevalence rate in patients aged 40 years or older, as compared with younger. No significant association was detected between T. gondii and a specific diagnostic category; however, bipolar disorder (BD)-II showed the highest positivity rate (40.9%). The seropositive status was significantly associated with a lower presence of psychotic symptoms, higher number of total episodes of predominant excitatory polarity, longer illness duration, and lower severity of current episode, particularly anxiety, depressive, and withdrawal/retardation symptoms. These preliminary results seem to point out an association between chronic toxoplasmosis and a specific subtype of BD.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Bipolar Disorder / diagnosis*
  • Bipolar Disorder / epidemiology
  • Bipolar Disorder / psychology
  • Chronic Disease
  • Cohort Studies
  • Comorbidity
  • Correlation of Data
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Italy
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Schizophrenia / diagnosis*
  • Schizophrenia / epidemiology
  • Schizophrenic Psychology*
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Toxoplasmosis / diagnosis*
  • Toxoplasmosis / epidemiology
  • Toxoplasmosis / psychology*
  • Young Adult