An investigation into the association between latent toxoplasmosis and suicide attempts among adolescents

Introduction: There have been several studies investigating the association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and psychiatric disorders although there is insufficient data on causality. Suicide, depression, and anxiety disorders have been especially investigated in this regard. In this study...

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Main Authors: Hüsniye Yucel, S Burak Acikel, Saliha Senel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2020-12-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/13632
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author Hüsniye Yucel
S Burak Acikel
Saliha Senel
author_facet Hüsniye Yucel
S Burak Acikel
Saliha Senel
author_sort Hüsniye Yucel
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: There have been several studies investigating the association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and psychiatric disorders although there is insufficient data on causality. Suicide, depression, and anxiety disorders have been especially investigated in this regard. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether there is any causal association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and suicide attempts in adolescents. Methodology: This is a case-control study conducted between January and December 2019. A total of 27 adolescents who had attempted suicide and were aged between 12 and 18 years were included in the study. 26 age and sex ratio matched healthy volunteers were taken as the control group. A possible association between suicide attempts and Toxoplasma gondii serology (IgM and IgG) was investigated.. Results: The suicide attempt group consisted of 17 females and 10 males. The mean age was 15.9 ± 1.4 (13.5-17.9) years. Toxoplasma gondii IgG seropositivity was 3.7% (1/27) in the suicide attempt group and 3.8% (1/26) in the control group. There was no significant association between the suicide attempt group and the control group in terms of the presence of Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our study is one of the few studies examining the association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and suicide attempts in adolescents yet we did not find any significant association. Further evidence is needed to clarify this controversial issue.
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spelling doaj-art-db0f45a02f2f4f4d9e2d3fcb3225d94a2025-08-20T02:57:13ZengThe Journal of Infection in Developing CountriesJournal of Infection in Developing Countries1972-26802020-12-01141210.3855/jidc.13632An investigation into the association between latent toxoplasmosis and suicide attempts among adolescentsHüsniye Yucel0S Burak Acikel1Saliha Senel2Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, TurkeyDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, TurkeyDepartment of Pediatrics, Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey Introduction: There have been several studies investigating the association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and psychiatric disorders although there is insufficient data on causality. Suicide, depression, and anxiety disorders have been especially investigated in this regard. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether there is any causal association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and suicide attempts in adolescents. Methodology: This is a case-control study conducted between January and December 2019. A total of 27 adolescents who had attempted suicide and were aged between 12 and 18 years were included in the study. 26 age and sex ratio matched healthy volunteers were taken as the control group. A possible association between suicide attempts and Toxoplasma gondii serology (IgM and IgG) was investigated.. Results: The suicide attempt group consisted of 17 females and 10 males. The mean age was 15.9 ± 1.4 (13.5-17.9) years. Toxoplasma gondii IgG seropositivity was 3.7% (1/27) in the suicide attempt group and 3.8% (1/26) in the control group. There was no significant association between the suicide attempt group and the control group in terms of the presence of Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our study is one of the few studies examining the association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and suicide attempts in adolescents yet we did not find any significant association. Further evidence is needed to clarify this controversial issue. https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/13632
spellingShingle Hüsniye Yucel
S Burak Acikel
Saliha Senel
An investigation into the association between latent toxoplasmosis and suicide attempts among adolescents
Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
title An investigation into the association between latent toxoplasmosis and suicide attempts among adolescents
title_full An investigation into the association between latent toxoplasmosis and suicide attempts among adolescents
title_fullStr An investigation into the association between latent toxoplasmosis and suicide attempts among adolescents
title_full_unstemmed An investigation into the association between latent toxoplasmosis and suicide attempts among adolescents
title_short An investigation into the association between latent toxoplasmosis and suicide attempts among adolescents
title_sort investigation into the association between latent toxoplasmosis and suicide attempts among adolescents
url https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/13632
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