SynthesisPloS one2019
Is there any association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and depression? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- Specificity of environmental risk factors for schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and depressive disorders - umbrella review.Psychological medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Systematic Review on the Relationship between Toxoplasmosis and Mental Disorders.Actas espanolas de psiquiatria · 2024Pooled it
- Relationship between Toxoplasma gondii infection and psychiatric disorders in Iran: A systematic review with meta-analysis.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- The global status and genetic characterization of hydatidosis in camels (Parasitology · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Is there any association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and depression? A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2019Pooled it
- A review onParasite epidemiology and control · 2026Review
- From cats to cortex:Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Possible association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and autism spectrum disorder.Parasites, hosts and diseases · 2025Review
- Article
- Association of neurobiological and immune serum biomarkers with Toxoplasma gondii infection in patients with schizophrenia.Parasitology research · 2025Article
- Association between latent toxoplasmosis and bipolar disorder: a case-control seroprevalence study.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Diseases Caused by and Behaviors Associated withPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- The Role of Inflammation in Depression and Beyond: A Primer for Clinicians.Current psychiatry reports · 2024Review
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of protozoan parasite infections among patients with mental health disorders: an overlooked phenomenon.Gut pathogens · 2024Review
- Association BetweenJournal of parasitology research · 2024Article
- Article
- Chronic infection by atypicalBrain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2023Article
- From the immune system to mood disorders especially induced byFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2023Review
- Therapeutic Implications of the Microbial Hypothesis of Mental Illness.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundToxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular opportunistic parasite that is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. This parasite accounts for mental disorders; however, the relationship between T. gondii infection and depressive disorder is unclear. Regarding this, the present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the scientific evidence regarding the potential association between major depression disorder (MDD) and Toxoplasma infection.
methodsFor the purpose of the study, the articles related to the subject of interest were systematically searched in seven electronic databases. Special attention was given to the studies examining T. gondii seropositivity level in depressed patients and controls.
resultsThe search process resulted in the identification of a total of 30 publications meeting the inclusion criteria and published up to April 2018 for the systematic review. Furthermore, 29 studies met the inclusion criteria to be entered into meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis involved the review of cross-sectional studies including 1657 depressed patients and 19565 individuals as controls and case-control studies entailing 1311 depressed cases and 6015 controls without depression. 1582 depressed people participated in cross-sectional studies whose results were reported as odds ratio (OR). In addition, the total number of participants was 15068 in this type of studies. Statistical analysis indicated that the pooled OR of the risk of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody in depressed individuals in case-control and cross-sectional studies was 1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95-1.39).
conclusionsAs the findings of the reviewed articles indicated, toxoplasmosis is not a risk factor for MDD. However, it is necessary to perform further research to clarify the detailed association between T. gondii and dysthymia or mild and moderate depression. Furthermore, it is recommended to better investigate the effect of antibody titers on the relationship between depression and T. gondii infection.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.