Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and cognitive functions in school-aged children. Parasitology 2015 Aug;142(9):1221-7
Date
05/21/2015Pubmed ID
25990628DOI
10.1017/S0031182015000505Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84937072984 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 27 CitationsAbstract
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infects one-third of the world population, but its association with cognitive functions in school-aged children is unclear. We examined the relationship between Toxoplasma seropositivity and neuropsychological tests scores (including math, reading, visuospatial reasoning and verbal memory) in 1755 school-aged children 12-16 years old who participated to the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, using multiple linear regressions adjusted for covariates. Toxoplasma seroprevalence was 7·7% and seropositivity to the parasite was associated with lower reading skills (regression coefficient [β] = -5·86, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -11·11, -0·61, P = 0·029) and memory capacities (β = -0·86, 95% CI: -1·58, -0·15, P = 0·017). The interaction between T. gondii seropositivity and vitamin E significantly correlated with memory scores. In subgroup analysis, Toxoplasma-associated memory impairment was worse in children with lower serum vitamin E concentrations (β = -1·61, 95% CI: -2·44, -0·77, P < 0·001) than in those with higher values (β = -0·12, 95% CI: -1·23, 0·99, P = 0·83). In conclusion, Toxoplasma seropositivity may be associated with reading and memory impairments in school-aged children. Serum vitamin E seems to modify the relationship between the parasitic infection and memory deficiency.
Author List
Mendy A, Vieira ER, Albatineh AN, Gasana JAuthor
Janvier Gasana MD, MPH, PhD Adjunct Associate Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAnimals
Antibodies, Protozoan
Child
Cognition
Female
Humans
Immunoglobulin G
Male
Nutrition Surveys
Toxoplasma
Toxoplasmosis
United States