Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38172676›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2024

Genetic diversity and seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in COVID‑19 patients; a first case-control study in Iran.

Mehdi Hasanzadeh, Ehsan Ahmadpour, Mahmoud Mahami-Oskouei, Saeed Musavi, Mahdi Parsaei, Nazila Sarafraz, Adel Spotin

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 10% 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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Seroprevalence and risk factors forParasite epidemiology and control · 2025
    Review
  3. Coinfection ofMicroorganisms · 2024
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Mehdi HasanzadehImmunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Ehsan AhmadpourInfectious and Tropical Disease Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Mahmoud Mahami-OskoueiImmunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Saeed MusaviDepartment of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of medical science, Tabriz, Iran.
Mahdi ParsaeiVice chancellor for health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Nazila SarafrazVice chancellor for health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Adel SpotinImmunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Adelespotin@gmail.com.
Tabriz University of Medical Sciences · IRUniversity of Tabriz · IR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundToxoplasmosis 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.

methodsSeventy 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.

resultsThe 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

conclusionsThe 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.

Indexed as

COVID-19ToxoplasmaToxoplasmosisAdultAnimalsAntibodies, ProtozoanCase-Control StudiesCatsFemaleGenetic VariationHumansImmunoglobulin MIranMiddle AgedPhylogenyPregnancyAntibodies, ProtozoanImmunoglobulin MCOVID‑19 patientsNorthwest IranSequencingSerologyToxoplasmosis

Identifiers

PMID38172676
PMCPMC10763165
OpenAlexW4390571240

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.