Background
Infections during fetal life or neonatal period, including infections with Toxoplasma gondii, may be associated with a risk for schizophrenia and other mental disorders. The
objectives of this study were to study the association between serological markers
for maternal and neonatal infection and the risk for schizophrenia, related psychoses,
and affective disorders in a national cohort of newborns.
Methods
This study was a cohort-based, case-control study combining data from national population
registers and patient registers and a national neonatal screening biobank in Denmark.
Patients included persons born in Denmark in 1981 or later followed up through 1999
with respect to inpatient or outpatient treatment for schizophrenia or related disorders
(ICD-10 F2) or affective disorders (ICD-10 F3).
Results
Toxoplasma gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels corresponding to the upper quartile among control subjects
were significantly associated with schizophrenia risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79, p =
.045) after adjustment for urbanicity of place of birth, year of birth, gender, and
psychiatric diagnoses among first-degree relatives. There was no significant association
between any marker of infection and other schizophrenia-like disorders or affective
disorders.
Conclusions
Our study supports an association between Toxoplasma gondii and early-onset schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to establish if the association
is causal and if it generalizes to cases with onset after age 18.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 21, 2006
Accepted:
May 12,
2006
Received in revised form:
May 5,
2006
Received:
January 2,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
