title: Relationship between Toxoplasma gondii infection and bipolar disorder in a French sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prenatal exposure to viruses or parasites with tropism for the central nervous system is one of the risk factors for psychotic disorders. However, the relationship between past exposure to Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and incidence of bipolar disorders (BD) is poorly documented across populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We explored the potential association between T. gondii exposure and BD in France, a country of high prevalence of Toxoplasmosis, comparing the prevalence of serological markers (IgG/IgM class antibodies) for T. gondii infection in 110 BD patients and 106 healthy controls all living in France. In a subgroup of 42 patients and 42 controls we also evaluated the levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) transcripts, an adjunct marker of inflammation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that the sero-positive group for IgG antibodies to T. gondii had a 2.7 fold odds of having BD as compared to the sero-negative group (OR=2.17 CI 95%=1.09-4.36, p=0.028). Despite the fact that BD patients had significantly higher levels of IL-6 than the non-patient controls, no notable association between T. gondii status and IL-6 transcript levels was found. We did not find any clinical or demographic correlates of Toxoplasma exposure in the study population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results are to be interpreted with caution because of our small sample size.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We confirm the association between seropositive status to T. gondii and bipolar disorders reported in other populations and extend it to French patients. Our data strengthen the importance of early detection of T. gondii infected patients in order to propose specific and adequate treatments.
authors.affiliation: Inserm U955, Equipe 15 Psychiatrie Génétique, Créteil, F-94000, France.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hamdani
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Daban-Huard
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lajnef
authors.forename: Jean-Romain
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Richard
authors.forename: Marine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delavest
authors.forename: Ophélia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Godin
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Le Guen
authors.forename: François-Eric
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Vederine
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lépine
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jamain
authors.forename: Josselin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Houenou
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Le Corvoisier
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moins-Teisserenc
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Charron
authors.forename: Rajagopal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krishnamoorthy
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yolken
authors.forename: Faith
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dickerson
authors.forename: Ryad
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tamouza
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leboyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D015850:Interleukin-6