Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous parasitic protozoan that may be an important cause of neurological and psychiatric diseases. The purpose of this case-control registry-based study was to evaluate the prevalence of T. gondii infection and related risk factors among subjects who attempted suicide by drug use and a control group at the Iranian National Registry Center for Toxoplasmosis in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Baseline data were collected from participants using a questionnaire, and a blood sample was taken from each individual. The plasma was prepared for serological analysis, whereas the buffy coat was used for molecular analysis. Out of 282 individuals (147 cases with suicide attempters [SA] and 135 controls), 42.9% of patients and 16.3% of control subjects were positive for anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobin G (IgG), but all participants were negative for T. gondii DNA and anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobin M. Based on multiple logistic regressions, IgG seropositivity in SA in the age group of 20-30 years was 3.22 times higher than that in the control group (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that latent T. gondii infection among SA is significantly higher than that in healthy individuals, indicating a potential association between latent toxoplasmosis and SA at least in the studied area. Further research is needed to shed light on the potential association between T. gondii and suicide among different populations and areas of the world.

We report a case of Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii ) antibody seronegativity in a 14-year-old boy with a primary infection of T. gondii after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia who was rapidly diagnosed through metagenomic next-generation sequencing of peripheral blood as well as clinical manifestations. He was successfully cured with timely administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole due to early diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmosis is a serious or life-threatening disease in immunosuppressed patients and pregnant women. This study examined the likely association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and COVID-19 patients with moderate illness.
METHODS: Seventy blood samples were collected from patients at the Health Reference Laboratory of Tabriz, Northwest Iran from April 2021 to September 2021. In addition, 70 healthy subjects of the same age (37 ± 15 years) and sex distribution were ethnically matched. Sera samples were examined for the detection of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies using ELISA. Nested-PCR targets were amplified based on the B1 and GRA6 genes. GRA6 amplicons were subjected to sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.
RESULTS: The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis based on IgG titer was 35.7% in the COVID‑19 patients and 27.1% in the control group, representing not to be associated with the Toxoplasma seropositivity in COVID‑19 patients (P = 0.18) compared to healthy subjects. Anti-T. gondii IgM was not found in any of the patients and healthy individuals. According to PCR amplification of the B1 and GRA6 genes, the frequency of T. gondii in COVID-19 patients was 14.2% (10/70). However, no T. gondii infection was detected in the healthy group. The CD4+T cell count was relatively lower in toxoplasmosis-infected patients (430-450 cells/mm3) than in control group (500-1500 cells/mm3). High genetic diversity (Hd: 0.710) of the type I strain of T. gondii was characterized in the patients. Present results showed that consumption of raw vegetables and close contact with stray cats can increase the transmission of T. gondii to COVID-19 patients (P < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: The current study revealed that T. gondii type I infection is unequivocally circulating among the COVID-19 patients in Tabriz; However, no significant association was observed between the occurrence of Toxoplasma and the severity of COVID-19. To make more accurate health decisions, multicenter investigations with a larger sample size of different ethnic groups of the Iranian population are needed.

The expectancy of Toxoplasma gondii transmitted from livestock and raw meat to humans is a public health problem and is an example of the One Health theory.
This survey aimed to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors related to this common infection in individuals occupationally exposed (IOE) to livestock, raw meat and viscera in industrial slaughterhouses and livestock fields in Isfahan province, central Iran.
This study is a case-control survey carried out on the 401 serum samples of IOE (including slaughterhouse workers, butchers, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, livestock farmers and farm workers) compared to 401 archived samples of the general population (that all matched with cases by region, age and gender). All 802 samples were investigated for anti-T. gondii IgM and anti-T. gondii IgG using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
A statistically significant higher anti-T. gondii IgG occurrence (p < 0.001) was observed in IOE compared to the control group (46.1% vs. 31.4%). According to our knowledge, this is the first case-control study on the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii in IOE to livestock in central Iran.
These findings show a potentially significant association between T. gondii seropositivity and occupational exposure to livestock. Therefore, it is essential to develop guidelines for preventing disease transmission among IOE to livestock, raw meat and viscera in industrial slaughterhouses and livestock fields.

Toxoplasma gondii infection in clinical cases of rheumatic diseases is increasing, whereas, the relationship between T. gondii infection and rheumatic diseases is still ambiguous and contradictory. Thus, the present case-control study based on serological diagnosis was carried out to identify the underlying relationship between T. gondii infection and rheumatic diseases in China. Serological results showed that rheumatic patients (17.25%, 79/458) had a significantly higher T. gondii seroprevalence than control subjects (10.70%, 49/458) (p = 0.004). However, the difference in T. gondii seroprevalence among clinical rheumatic disease forms was insignificant. Moreover, disease duration not effect the T. gondii seroprevalence in the included clinical rheumatic patients. Three risk factors (presence of cats at home, blood transfusion history, and consumption of raw shellfish) were identified through multivariate analysis to affect the T. gondii seroprevalence in the included clinical rheumatic patients. In conclusion, these results indicate that the latent T. gondii infection in clinical rheumatic patients should cause alarm and attention in the course of future scientific research or clinical treatment.

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic illness caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Ocular infection frequently manifests as acute necrotizing retinal chorioretinitis. In this paper, we describe a case of retinal chorioretinitis caused by Toxoplasma gondii infection, as well as the most recent diagnostic and treatment techniques.
METHODS: Serum and vitreous fluid were collected and analyzed, and PCR for Toxoplasma gondii DNA, ELISA for Toxoplasma gondii IgG and Goldmann-Witmer coefficient, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), and fundus autofluorescence were done (FAF).
RESULTS: Toxoplasma gondii DNA (-), serum and vitreous IgG from Toxoplasma gondii (+) cells, and the Goldmann-Witmer coefficient of Toxoplasma gondii were all considerably enhanced, indicating Toxoplasma gondii infection. Antiparasitic infection in combination with an anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid were given, laser treatment of the fundus was provided, and the patient\'s condition has been stable with no indication of recurrence to date following conclusion of therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: Toxoplasma gondii can infect the whole retina, causing variable degrees of visual impairment; thus, rapid diagnosis and tailored therapy are necessary to enhance prognosis and reduce disease recurrence.

UNASSIGNED: The existence of predisposing effects of latent Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection in bipolar disorder (BD), major depression (MD), and even suicide attempt (SA) has long been debatable. This conjecture remains unclear because there is a lack of evidence regarding how T. gondii manipulates the brain and behavior.
UNASSIGNED: We investigated the influence of T. gondii infection on BD and MD patients with or without SA compared to age-, sex-, and province-matched healthy controls (HCs) concurrently with serology and molecular-based evaluations. We prospectively assessed 147 volunteers with BD, 161 with MD, and 310 HCs.
UNASSIGNED: T. gondii seropositivity rates were 57.1% for BD, 29.2% for MD, 64.8% for SA, and 21.3% for HC. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that T. gondii positive Immunoglobulin G (IgG) status may be a prominent tendentious agent for BD (OR = 3.52; 95% CI [2.19-5.80]; p < 0.001) and SA (OR = 17.17; 95% CI [8.12-36.28]; p < 0.001), but not for MD (OR = 1.21; 95% CI [0.74-1.99]; p = 0.45). Nevertheless, the T. gondii DNA ratios determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were linked to BD and MD.
UNASSIGNED: Our findings strongly support the burgeoning interest in the possibility that latent T. gondii infection may be relevant to the etiology of BD and SA, although this connection remains ambiguous.

UNASSIGNED: naturally acquired blood-stage malaria antibodies and malaria clinical data have been reported to be useful in monitoring malaria change over time and as a marker of malaria exposure. This study assessed the total immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels to Plasmodium falciparum schizont among infants (5-17 months), estimated malaria incidence using routine health facility-based surveillance data and predicted trend relation between anti-schizont antibodies and malaria incidence in Bagamoyo.
UNASSIGNED: 252 serum samples were used for assessment of total IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and results were expressed in arbitrary units (AU). 147/252 samples were collected in 2021 during a blood-stage malaria vaccine trial [ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04318002], and 105/252 were archived samples of malaria vaccine trial conducted in 2012 [ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00866619]. Malaria incidence was calculated from outpatient clinic data of malaria rapid test or blood smear positive results retrieved from District-Health-Information-Software-2 (DHIS2) between 2013 and 2020. Cross-sectional data from both studies were analysed using STATA version 14.
UNASSIGNED: this study demonstrated a decline in total anti-schizont IgG levels from 490.21AU in 2012 to 97.07AU in 2021 which was related to a fall in incidence from 58.25 cases/1000 person-year in 2013 to 14.28 cases/1000 person-year in 2020. We also observed a significant difference in incidence when comparing high and low malaria transmission areas and by gender. However, we did not observe differences when comparing total anti-schizont antibodies by gender and study year.
UNASSIGNED: total anti-schizont antibody levels appear to be an important serological marker of exposure for assessing the dynamic of malaria transmission in infants living in malaria-endemic regions.

BACKGROUND: Previously, diagnosis of ocular toxoplasmosis is based on clinical symptoms and Toxoplasma serology. Checking serological indicators often cannot reflect the real intraocular situation, and may even mislead clinicians to make wrong judgments.
METHODS: A 38-year-old male patient visited our ophthalmology clinic with a chief complaint of decreased vision for about 5 days in his right eye.
METHODS: Aqueous humor sample analysis found Toxoplasma DNA detectable, and Toxoplasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) to be positive. His serum Toxoplasma IgG was also positive (10.04 IU/mL; reference range: 0 to 7.2 IU/mL). Therefore, the final diagnose was ocular toxoplasmosis involving his right eye.
METHODS: Oral prednisone 60 mg/day and azithromycin 0.25 g/day were started. Oral antibiotic treatment for toxoplasma was continued for 4 weeks, and prednisone followed by weekly stepwise tapering in steps of 10 mg/day.
RESULTS: The BCVA and fundus of right eye remained stable after treatment at follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: This article reported a case of ocular Toxoplasma gondii infection diagnosis by serum and aqueous humor antibody tests. We provide some additional information on the T gondii infection diagnosis.

Some evidence suggests toxoplasmosis as an etiology of nephrotic syndrome (NS) in children; however, no observational study evaluated this relationship. In a case-control study, we enrolled 35 children with NS and 37 healthy children. All participants were examined for anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobulin G and M (IgG and IgM) antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We also systematically reviewed the literature to assess this relationship. Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG was 17.4% and 13.5% in cases and controls, respectively, indicating a non-significant association (adjusted odds ratio, 1.22, 95% confidence interval, 0.35-4.41). No subjects were seropositive for IgM. In a systematic review, we found that acute toxoplasmosis can induce NS in some children and anti-Toxoplasma treatment is effective in the remission of NS in these cases. In pediatrics with NS, acute toxoplasmosis should be considered as a neglected causative factor.