High Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Type I Diabetic Patients

BACKGROUND: Type I diabetes (TΙDM) is a genetic or autoimmune disorder, which may be stimulated by induced immune system components due to the underlying infectious diseases. This study was undertaken to find out any possible association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and TIDM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and eighty-two blood samples were taken from individuals who were referred to outpatient clinics in Shiraz city, Southern Iran, during a 6-month period. The age of type I diabetic subjects (n = 91) and the control group (n = 91) was identical, which were less than 30 years. The sera were examined for IgG and IgM antibodies by ELISA and correlated with epidemiological factors such as age, sex, and family history of diabetes. RESULTS: Out of 91 diabetic patients, 54 (59.3%) were female and 37 (40.7%) were male. The highest frequency of diabetes belonged to 6-10- and 11-15-year groups (P = 0.17). Toxoplasma infection prevalence in diabetic and control groups was 28.6% and 7.7%, respectively (P = 0.001). A significantly positive family history of diabetes was observed between diabetic patients (31 cases, 34.1%) and the control group (3 cases, 3.3%) (P = 0.01). Interestingly, IgG positivity was seen in 13 cases (41.9%) of patients with positive family history of type I diabetes and 13 cases (21.7%) of subjects with no positive family history of type I diabetes (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Our study showed a higher prevalence of Toxoplasma infection in type I diabetes patients. It is likely that the prevalence of TIDM decreases by increasing hygiene and preventing toxoplasmosis.