title: Anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in patients with schizophrenia--preliminary findings in a Turkish sample.
abstract: Schizophrenia is a serious neuropsychiatric disease of uncertain etiology. We investigated the seropositivity rate for anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients with schizophrenia to ascertain a possible relationship between Toxoplasma gondii and schizophrenia. We selected 100 patients with schizophrenia, 50 with depressive disorder, and 50 healthy volunteers to investigate the seropositivity rate of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies by ELISA. The seropositivity rate for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies among schizophrenia patients (66%) was significantly higher than among patients with depressive disorder or healthy volunteers (P < .01). Thus, there might be a causal relationship between toxoplasmosis and the etiology of schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zafer
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cetinkaya
authors.forename: Suleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yazar
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gecici
authors.forename: Mustafa N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Namli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D016781:Toxoplasmosis, Cerebral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M