Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36917369›Full record

ArticleParasitology research2023

Toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus infection and their role in Egyptian autistic children.

Zeinab R Hassan, Kareman M Zekry, Elham Adel Heikal, Hanan F Ibrahim, Seham K Khirala, Samar M Abd El-Hamid, Doaa R Amin, Nora Seliem, Gehad N Abd El-Aal, Mohammad M Alkherkhisy and 5 more

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Parasitology research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Zeinab R HassanDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine for girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. zenabramadan.medg@azhar.edu.eg.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6767-6764
Kareman M ZekryDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine for girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Elham Adel HeikalDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine for girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Hanan F IbrahimDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine for girls and boys, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Seham K KhiralaDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine for girls and boys, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Samar M Abd El-HamidDepartment of Clinical Pathology, Al-Zahraa University Hospital,Faculty of Medicine for girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Doaa R AminDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine for girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Nora SeliemDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine for girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Gehad N Abd El-AalDepartment of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine for girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Mohammad M AlkherkhisyDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine for girls and boys, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Salwa A Abd ElhamidDepartment of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Emad A MahgoubDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Art, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Mahmoud E N HefnyDepartment of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Education for Early Childhood, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ghada H El NadyMedical Genetic Center, Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Mohamed S BadrMedical Research Centre, Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Al-Azhar University · EGAin Shams University · EGCairo University · EG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a significantly increased incidence rate across the world over the past few years. Toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection are globally prevalent and have been associated with diverse neurological and psychiatric disorders. A few studies have demonstrated the role of toxoplasmosis and CMV as potential etiological factors for autism. Accordingly, this study was performed to estimate the relationship between toxoplasmosis and CMV infection in children with autism as well as to assess their impact on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) score. A total of 45 autistic children (6 girls, 39 boys) and 45 (21 girls, 24 boys) healthy control children were enrolled in our study. Their blood samples were collected and tested for the presence of Toxoplasma and CMV (IgG and IgM) antibodies and DNA by ELISA and real-time PCR (RT-PCR), respectively. Toxoplasmosis was detected in 11 (24.4%) autistic children through the ELISA [10 (22.2%) IgG + /IgM - and 1 (2.2%) IgG + /IgM +]; however, RT-PCR assay recorded only 1 positive case (2.2%), while it was detected in 10 (22.2%) control children through ELISA [9 (20%) IgG + /IgM - and 1 (2.2%) IgG + /IgM +] and 1 (2.2%) by RT-PCR. On the other hand, CMV infection was detected in all autistic children with 44 (97.8%) testing positive by ELISA [24 (53.3%) IgG + /IgM - , 18 (40%) IgG + /IgM + and 2 (4.4%) IgG - /IgM +] and 25 (55.6%) testing positive by RT-PCR assay. In addition, ELISA assay recorded 43 (95.6%) [19 (42.2%) IgG + /IgM + and 22 (48.9%) IgG + /IgM - and 2 (4.4%) IgG-/IgM +] and RT-PCR recorded 21 (46.7%) positive samples in control children with CMV. No significant difference was noted between autistic and control children for the overall prevalence of Toxoplasma or/and CMV infection. Similarly, the CARS score indicated a non-significant difference with Toxoplasma or/and CMV infection. Our data does not show an association between autism and toxoplasmosis or/and CMV infection. Nevertheless, considering that autistic children are at a high risk of contracting these infections, further studies with a larger sample size are recommended.

Indexed as

Autistic DisorderCytomegalovirus InfectionsToxoplasmaToxoplasmosisChildEgyptEnzyme-Linked Immunosorbent AssayFemaleHumansImmunoglobulin GImmunoglobulin MMaleImmunoglobulin GImmunoglobulin MAutismCARSCMVELISAPrevalenceRT-PCRToxoplasmosis

Identifiers

PMID36917369
PMCPMC10097734
OpenAlexW4324129428

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.