ArticleBMC infectious diseases2026
Investigating the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in Parkinson's disease patients and its association with disease severity: a case-control study.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundToxoplasma gondii infects nearly one-third of the global population and has been implicated in neurologic dysfunction; however, its contribution to Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unresolved.
aimHere we assess whether T. gondii seropositivity is associated with PD occurrence or severity in a well-defined group of patients and matched controls.
methodsA case-control design included n = 60 PD patients and n = 60 matched controls, with anti-T. gondii IgG/IgM quantified by ELISA and PD severity graded using the Hoehn and Yahr scale. Logistic regression evaluated associations (P < 0.05).
resultsAmong 120 participants (60 PD, 60 controls; mean age 69.7 ± 9.0 years; 66.7% male), education differed significantly (illiteracy: 58.3% vs. 30.0%, p < 0.001). Risk factors for T. gondii infection showed no significant differences: cat contact (61.7% vs. 56.7%; OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 0.57-2.62), unwashed vegetables (20.0% vs. 21.7%; OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.36-2.25), and undercooked meat (15.0% vs. 16.7%; OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.30-2.57). Overall IgG seroprevalence was 90.8% (PD 88.3%, controls 93.3%; adjusted OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.16-1.94, p = 0.36). IgG positivity did not vary significantly by PD severity (85.7-100% across Hoehn and Yahr stages), and only one PD patient was IgM-positive.
conclusionsThe data establish that chronic T. gondii exposure does not differentiate PD patients from controls and does not convincingly modulate disease severity. This work provides a new framework for interpreting parasite-neurodegeneration links in high-exposure settings and opens the door to future studies using molecular assays and longitudinal designs to resolve causal pathways.
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