ArticleBMC pediatrics2021
Maternal toxoplasmosis and the risk of childhood autism: serological and molecular small-scale studies.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection among patients with psychiatric and neurologic disorders in Türkiye: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Toxoplasma gondii infection and testosterone alteration: A systematic review and meta-analyses.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Comprehensive Intervention and Effect of Martial Arts Routines on Children with Autism.Journal of environmental and public health · 2022Trial
- Review of Toxoplasmosis: What We Still Need to Do.Veterinary sciences · 2025Review
- Possible association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and autism spectrum disorder.Parasites, hosts and diseases · 2025Review
- Exploring the potential association between dietary factors and autism spectrum disorder: a Mendelian randomization analysis and retrospective study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Microbes and Mental Illness: Past, Present, and Future.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus infection and their role in Egyptian autistic children.Parasitology research · 2023Article
- Maternal-Fetal Infections (Cytomegalovirus,Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Altered Offspring Immunity in Maternal Parasitic Infections.Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) · 2022Review
- Epigenetic Manipulation of Psychiatric Behavioral Disorders Induced byFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022Review
- Ginsenoside Rh2 reduces depression in offspring of mice with maternal toxoplasma infection during pregnancy by inhibiting microglial activation via the HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.Journal of ginseng research · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundToxoplasmosis resulting from infection with the Toxoplasma parasite has become an endemic disease worldwide. Recently, a few studies have reported a high prevalence of Toxoplasmosis infections among Saudi Arabian women. This disease could become life threatening for pregnant women and for immunodeficient people. There is evidence that infections during pregnancy, especially in the early stages, are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Autism disorder represents one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders worldwide; it is associated with delayed language development, weak communication interaction, and repetitive behavior. The relationship between prenatal toxoplasmosis and autism in childhood remains unclear. The present study aims to report a link between maternal toxoplasmosis and autistic offspring among Saudi Arabian women.
methodBlood samples (36 maternal, 36 from their non-autistic children, and 36 from their autistic children) were collected for serological and molecular evaluation.
resultsA toxoplasmosis infection was reported for 33.34% of participants using an ELISA assay (5.56% IgG+/IgM+, 11.11% IgG-/IgM+, and 16.67% IgG+/IgM-); however, a nested PCR assay targeting B1 toxoplasmosis specific genes recorded positive tests for 80.56% of the samples. In addition, the present study detected several points of mutation of mtDNA including NADH dehydrogenase (ND1, ND4) and Cyt B genes and the nDNA pyruvate kinase (PK) gene for autistic children infected with toxoplasmosis.
conclusionConsidering previous assumptions, we suggest that a maternal toxoplasmosis infection could have a role in the development of childhood autism linked to mtDNA and nDNA impairment.
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