Toxoplasma gondii Exposure and the Risk of Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a major psychiatric disorder with a deeply destructive pathophysiology. There are evidences to indicate that infectious agents such as Toxoplasma gondii may play some roles in etiology of the disorder. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to determine the association between T. gondii exposure and the risk of schizophrenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: T. gondii IgG antibodies of 100 patients with schizophrenia as well as 200 healthy volunteers were assessed. The subjects also completed demographic questionnaires. Data was analyzed using the chi-square and Fisher exact tests. RESULTS: The analyses confirmed the significant differences between healthy women and ones with schizophrenia (P = 0.001) as well as between males and females with schizophrenia (P = 0.009) in IgG positivity. CONCLUSIONS: The present study supported the contamination with T. gondii as a risk factor for schizophrenia just in women.