부산대학교 도서관

Background & Objectives: Toxoplasma (T.) gondii is an intracellular parasite that has recently been reported in association with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, with an unidentified function. The aim of this project was to investigate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in MS patients in comparison with healthy people. Method: This case-control prospective study was conducted on 90 patients with MS and 90 age and gender-matched healthy participants. All patients and healthy individuals filled a sociodemographic questionnaire and MS patients were evaluated for clinical status. The presence of specific IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii was explored by using an enzyme immunoassay test in the sera of the participants. Results: The mean age of MS patients was 34.47±8.74. Out of 90 MS patients, 70 (77.8%) were female. No significant difference was observed between both groups with respect to age and gender. Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 47 (52.2%) of the 90 cases and in 79 (87.8%) of the 90 controls (P = 0.0001). Mean age and disease duration of the seropositive MS patients were 36.76±7.78 and 5.12±3.64 years, respectively. There was significant association between T. gondii seropositivity and age and also disease duration (P=0.009 and 0.033, respectively). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the seroprevalence of T. gondii in MS patients is lower than the healthy group. These results suggest that there is a negative association between infection with T. gondii and MS and toxoplasmosis can be considered as a possible protective factor for the development of MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]