A positive association between T. gondii seropositivity and obesity

Frontiers in Public Health

Dan eRujescu¹  Bettina eKonte¹  Marion eFriedl¹  Annette eHartmann¹  Ina eGiegling¹  Harald eMangee²  Daniel eWeghuber³  Olaoluwa eOkusaga⁴  Sara eMazaheri⁴  David B Allison⁵  Gloria M Reeves⁶  Teodor T Postolache⁶  Soren eSnitker⁷  Patricia eLangenberg⁸  Maureen eGroer⁹ 

[1] Martin-Luther-Universitat;Medical University of Graz;Paracelsus Medical School;St Elizabeths Hospital;University of Alabama;University of Maryland School of Medicine;University of Maryland, School of Medicine;University of Maryland;University of South Florida;

关键词: Body Weight;    Inflammation;    Obesity;    Toxoplasma gondii;    Parasitic Infection;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2013.00073

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Obesity is a global public health problem that is linked with morbidity, mortality and functional limitations and has limited options for sustained interventions.Novel targets for prevention and intervention require further research into the pathogenesis of obesity.An emerging field of research has investigated the association of infections and environmental pathogens with obesity, and inflammatory mechanisms that may mediate obesity risk.In this study, we estimate the possible association between Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection and obesity in a sample of 999 adults that have been carefully screened for mental illness.Individuals are screened for mental illness because of the association between positive serology to T. gondii and various forms of serious mental illness that have a strong association with obesity.In our sample, individuals with positive T. gondii serology were twice the odds of being obese compared to seronegative individuals (p = .01).Further, individuals who were obese had significant higher T. gondii IgG titers compared to individuals who were non-obese.Latent T. gondii infection is very common worldwide, so potential public health interventions related to this parasite can have a high impact on associated health concerns.

【 授权许可】

Unknown