TY - JOUR
T1 - Toxoplasma gondii antibody titers and history of suicide attempts in patients with schizophrenia
AU - Okusaga, Olaoluwa
AU - Langenberg, Patricia
AU - Sleemi, Aamar
AU - Vaswani, Dipika
AU - Giegling, Ina
AU - Hartmann, Annette M.
AU - Konte, Bettina
AU - Friedl, Marion
AU - Groer, Maureen W.
AU - Yolken, Robert H.
AU - Rujescu, Dan
AU - Postolache, Teodor T.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this study was provided by American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (Postolache PI); the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication.
PY - 2011/12
Y1 - 2011/12
N2 - Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) a widespread neurotropic parasite, has been previously associated with schizophrenia and more recently with suicidal behavior. However, no previous study has examined the association of T. gondii with suicidal behavior in schizophrenia patients. 950 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia by SCID were recruited from the Munich area of Germany. Solid-enzyme immunoassay methods were used to measure IgG plasma antibodies to T. gondii, other neurotropic pathogens and gliadin. Logistic regression models were developed to analyze the association of T. gondii seropositivity or serointensity with history of suicidal behavior. In those younger than the median age of the sample, 38, T. gondii serointensity was associated with history of suicidal behavior (p = 0.02), while in the older patients the relationship was not significant (p = 0.21). Seropositivity was also associated with history of suicide attempt in younger patients, odds ratio 1.59 (95% CI 1.06 to 2.40), p = 0.03. Seropositivity for CMV (p = 0.22), HSV-1 (p = 0.36) and gliadin (p = 0.92) was not related to history of suicide attempt in the entire sample or any age subgroup. T. gondii serology might become, with interaction with vulnerability genes, a candidate biomarker for a subgroup of schizophrenia patients prone to attempting suicide.
AB - Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) a widespread neurotropic parasite, has been previously associated with schizophrenia and more recently with suicidal behavior. However, no previous study has examined the association of T. gondii with suicidal behavior in schizophrenia patients. 950 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia by SCID were recruited from the Munich area of Germany. Solid-enzyme immunoassay methods were used to measure IgG plasma antibodies to T. gondii, other neurotropic pathogens and gliadin. Logistic regression models were developed to analyze the association of T. gondii seropositivity or serointensity with history of suicidal behavior. In those younger than the median age of the sample, 38, T. gondii serointensity was associated with history of suicidal behavior (p = 0.02), while in the older patients the relationship was not significant (p = 0.21). Seropositivity was also associated with history of suicide attempt in younger patients, odds ratio 1.59 (95% CI 1.06 to 2.40), p = 0.03. Seropositivity for CMV (p = 0.22), HSV-1 (p = 0.36) and gliadin (p = 0.92) was not related to history of suicide attempt in the entire sample or any age subgroup. T. gondii serology might become, with interaction with vulnerability genes, a candidate biomarker for a subgroup of schizophrenia patients prone to attempting suicide.
KW - Schizophrenia
KW - Suicidal behavior
KW - Toxoplasma gondii
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U2 - 10.1016/j.schres.2011.08.006
DO - 10.1016/j.schres.2011.08.006
M3 - Article
C2 - 21890329
AN - SCOPUS:81955167989
SN - 0920-9964
VL - 133
SP - 150
EP - 155
JO - Schizophrenia Research
JF - Schizophrenia Research
IS - 1-3
ER -