Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38438515›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2024

Toxoplasma gondii infection associated with inflammasome activation and neuronal injury.

Dimitrios Andreou, Nils Eiel Steen, Lynn Mørch-Johnsen, Kjetil Nordbø Jørgensen, Laura A Wortinger, Claudia Barth, Attila Szabo, Kevin S O'Connell, Tove Lekva, Gabriela Hjell and 9 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
4.1field-weighted citation impact, top 6% 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, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
  5. The emerging role ofFrontiers in immunology · 2024
    Review
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

19 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.

Dimitrios AndreouDepartment of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Forskningsveien 7, 0373, Oslo, Norway. dimitrios.andreou@ki.se.
Nils Eiel SteenDepartment of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Forskningsveien 7, 0373, Oslo, Norway.
Lynn Mørch-JohnsenNorwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Kjetil Nordbø JørgensenNorwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Laura A WortingerDepartment of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Forskningsveien 7, 0373, Oslo, Norway.
Claudia BarthDepartment of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Forskningsveien 7, 0373, Oslo, Norway.
Attila SzaboNorwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Kevin S O'ConnellNorwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Tove LekvaResearch Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
Gabriela HjellNorwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Ingrid Torp JohansenNorwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Monica B E G OrmerodNorwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Unn K HaukvikNorwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Pål AukrustResearch Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
Srdjan DjurovicDepartment of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Robert H YolkenStanley Division of Developmental Neurovirology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Ole A Andreassen *Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Thor Ueland *Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
Ingrid Agartz *Department of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Forskningsveien 7, 0373, Oslo, Norway.
University of Oslo · NOOslo University Hospital · NOØstfold Hospital Trust · NODiakonhjemmet Hospital · NOJohns Hopkins Medicine · USUniversity Hospital of North Norway · NOUniversity of Bergen · NO

Funding

Norges Forskningsråd 223273South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority 2019-108
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii (TOXO) infection typically results in chronic latency due to its ability to form cysts in the brain and other organs. Latent toxoplasmosis could promote innate immune responses and impact brain function. A large body of evidence has linked TOXO infection to severe mental illness (SMI). We hypothesized that TOXO immunoglobulin G (IgG) seropositivity, reflecting previous infection and current latency, is associated with increased circulating neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a marker of brain damage, and interleukin-18 (IL-18), an innate immune marker, mainly in SMI. We included 735 patients with SMI (schizophrenia or bipolar spectrum) (mean age 32 years, 47% women), and 518 healthy controls (HC) (mean age 33 years, 43% women). TOXO IgG, expressed as seropositivity/seronegativity, NSE and IL-18 were measured with immunoassays. We searched for main and interaction effects of TOXO, patient/control status and sex on NSE and IL-18. In the whole sample as well as among patients and HC separately, IL-18 and NSE concentrations were positively correlated (p < 0.001). TOXO seropositive participants had significantly higher NSE (3713 vs. 2200 pg/ml, p < 0.001) and IL-18 levels (1068 vs. 674 pg/ml, p < 0.001) than seronegative participants, and evaluation within patients and HC separately showed similar results. Post-hoc analysis on cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus 1 IgG status showed no associations with NSE or IL-18 which may suggest TOXO specificity. These results may indicate ongoing inflammasome activation and neuronal injury in people with TOXO infections unrelated to diagnosis.

Indexed as

ToxoplasmaToxoplasmosisAdultFemaleHumansImmunoglobulin GInflammasomesInterleukin-18MaleImmunoglobulin GInflammasomesInterleukin-18Bipolar disorderHealthy controlsInterleukin-18Neuron-specific enolaseSchizophrenia

Identifiers

PMID38438515
PMCPMC10912117
OpenAlexW4392380762

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.