Analysis of the Correlation Between <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Seropositivity and Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial brain disorder and infectious diseases are considered as one of the predisposing factors for AD. <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>, an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan, is suspected of being associated with AD. Serum samples were collected fr...

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Main Authors: Jianjun Wang, Ping Lin, Dan Li, Biyu Yang, Jiaqi Wang, Meng Feng, Xunjia Cheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Pathogens
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/11/1021
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author Jianjun Wang
Ping Lin
Dan Li
Biyu Yang
Jiaqi Wang
Meng Feng
Xunjia Cheng
author_facet Jianjun Wang
Ping Lin
Dan Li
Biyu Yang
Jiaqi Wang
Meng Feng
Xunjia Cheng
author_sort Jianjun Wang
collection DOAJ
description Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial brain disorder and infectious diseases are considered as one of the predisposing factors for AD. <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>, an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan, is suspected of being associated with AD. Serum samples were collected from 109 AD patients and 114 age-matched healthy controls. ELISA was performed using recombinant <i>T. gondii</i> cyst wall protein 1 (CST1) to detect <i>T. gondii</i> antibodies. A parallel experiment was performed with Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites lysate protein. To analyze whether factors associated with the onset of AD included chronic <i>T. gondii</i> infection, a multivariate logistic regression model was applied, further validating the correlation between chronic <i>T. gondii</i> infection and AD. AD patients exhibited significantly higher levels of Toxoplasma-specific antibodies in their serum compared to the control group, with statistically significant differences (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that <i>Toxoplasma</i> infection is a risk factor for AD (<i>p</i> < 0.01), and the CST1 antigen can significantly improve the model’s performance in predicting the occurrence of AD. The results indicate that chronic infection with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> could be one of the risk factors for the development of AD, potentially predisposing individuals with underlying health conditions to the disease. This further validates the correlation between <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> and AD.
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spelling doaj-art-4f1c426e82b24daa84d5a2851ce1c3ce2025-08-20T01:53:54ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172024-11-011311102110.3390/pathogens13111021Analysis of the Correlation Between <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Seropositivity and Alzheimer’s DiseaseJianjun Wang0Ping Lin1Dan Li2Biyu Yang3Jiaqi Wang4Meng Feng5Xunjia Cheng6Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, ChinaDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, ChinaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, ChinaDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, ChinaDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, ChinaDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, ChinaShanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, ChinaAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial brain disorder and infectious diseases are considered as one of the predisposing factors for AD. <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>, an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan, is suspected of being associated with AD. Serum samples were collected from 109 AD patients and 114 age-matched healthy controls. ELISA was performed using recombinant <i>T. gondii</i> cyst wall protein 1 (CST1) to detect <i>T. gondii</i> antibodies. A parallel experiment was performed with Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites lysate protein. To analyze whether factors associated with the onset of AD included chronic <i>T. gondii</i> infection, a multivariate logistic regression model was applied, further validating the correlation between chronic <i>T. gondii</i> infection and AD. AD patients exhibited significantly higher levels of Toxoplasma-specific antibodies in their serum compared to the control group, with statistically significant differences (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that <i>Toxoplasma</i> infection is a risk factor for AD (<i>p</i> < 0.01), and the CST1 antigen can significantly improve the model’s performance in predicting the occurrence of AD. The results indicate that chronic infection with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> could be one of the risk factors for the development of AD, potentially predisposing individuals with underlying health conditions to the disease. This further validates the correlation between <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> and AD.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/11/1021Alzheimer’s disease<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>cyst wall protein 1multivariate logistic regression model
spellingShingle Jianjun Wang
Ping Lin
Dan Li
Biyu Yang
Jiaqi Wang
Meng Feng
Xunjia Cheng
Analysis of the Correlation Between <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Seropositivity and Alzheimer’s Disease
Pathogens
Alzheimer’s disease
<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>
cyst wall protein 1
multivariate logistic regression model
title Analysis of the Correlation Between <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Seropositivity and Alzheimer’s Disease
title_full Analysis of the Correlation Between <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Seropositivity and Alzheimer’s Disease
title_fullStr Analysis of the Correlation Between <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Seropositivity and Alzheimer’s Disease
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of the Correlation Between <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Seropositivity and Alzheimer’s Disease
title_short Analysis of the Correlation Between <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Seropositivity and Alzheimer’s Disease
title_sort analysis of the correlation between i toxoplasma gondii i seropositivity and alzheimer s disease
topic Alzheimer’s disease
<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>
cyst wall protein 1
multivariate logistic regression model
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/11/1021
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