ArticleBMC infectious diseases2011
Potential immunomodulatory effects of latent toxoplasmosis in humans.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.
- Promising effects of parasite-derived compounds on tumor regression: a systematic review of in vitro and in vivo studies.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2022Pooled it
- The Effect of Latent Toxoplasma gondii Infection on the Immune Response in HIV-Infected Patients.BioMed research international · 2015Trial
- From Infection to Anxiety: A Sequential Model Linking Latent Toxoplasmosis to Psychological Distress via Health and Stress.Scandinavian journal of psychology · 2026Article
- Special Issue: Does latent Toxoplasma infection mimic the immune profile of schizophrenia? Sex-specific cytokine and brain-marker alterations suggest partial overlap.Folia parasitologica · 2026Article
- Beyond Latency: ChronicBiomedicines · 2025Review
- Chronic inflammation in pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis and explanation of discordant results of serological tests for toxoplasmosis.Folia parasitologica · 2025Article
- From pathogen to cure: exploring the antitumor potential of Toxoplasma gondii.Infectious agents and cancer · 2025Review
- Toxoplasmosis is a risk factor for acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection and a severe course of COVID-19 in the Czech and Slovak population: a preregistered exploratory internet cross-sectional study.Parasites & vectors · 2021Article
- The relation of secondary sex ratio and miscarriage history with Toxoplasma gondii infection.BMC infectious diseases · 2018Article
- DoesCommunicative & integrative biology · 2017Article
- Experimental infection with the Toxoplasma gondii ME-49 strain in the Brazilian BR-1 mini pig is a suitable animal model for human toxoplasmosis.Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz · 2015Article
- Overview of the Diagnostic Methods Used in the Field for Human African Trypanosomiasis: What Could Change in the Next Years?BioMed research international · 2015Review
- Toxoplasma gondii infection can induce retinal DNA damage: an experimental study.International journal of ophthalmology · 2014Article
- Article
- A Positive Association between T. gondii Seropositivity and Obesity.Frontiers in public health · 2013Article
- Toxoplasmosis and Polygenic Disease Susceptibility Genes: Extensive Toxoplasma gondii Host/Pathogen Interactome Enrichment in Nine Psychiatric or Neurological Disorders.Journal of pathogens · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAbout 30% of the population worldwide are infected with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Latent toxoplasmosis has many specific behavioral and physiological effects on the human organism. Modified reactivity of the immune system has been suggested to play a key role in many of these effects. For example, the immunosuppression hypothesis explains the higher probability of the birth of male offspring observed in Toxoplasma-positive humans and mice by the protection of the (more immunogenic) male embryos against abortion.
methodsHere we searched for indices of immunosuppression in Toxoplasma-positive subjects by comparing clinical records of immunology outpatients.
resultsOur cohort study showed that the male patients with latent toxoplasmosis had decreased and the Toxoplasma-positive women had increased leukocyte, NK-cell and monocyte counts in comparison with controls. The B-cell counts were reduced in both Toxoplasma-positive men and women. The difference between Toxoplasma-positive and Toxoplasma-negative subjects diminished with the decline of the specific Toxoplasma antibody titre (a proxy for the length of infection), which is consistent with the observed decreasing strength of the effect of latent toxoplasmosis on human reproduction. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis in 128 male patients was unusually low (10.9%) which contrasted with normal prevalence in 312 female patients (23.7%) and in general population Prague (20-30%).
conclusionsLatent toxoplasmosis has immunomodulatory effects in human and probably protects men against some classes of immunopathological diseases. The main limitation of the present study was the absence of the data on the immunoreactivity of immune cells subpopulations. Therefore further studies are needed to search for indices of immunosuppression in human using more specific markers.
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Registered trials
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