Toxoplasmosis and Anxiety: A Review Study

Abstract

Background: Toxoplasmosis, a significant zoonotic parasitic disease with serious health problems, is caused by apicomplexan protozoa, Toxoplasma gondii. Evidence has shown that Toxoplasma can also lead to psychological diseases. Objectives: The aim of this study was to collect information on the relationship between anxiety and toxoplasmosis. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Google Scholar, Noormags, and Magiran databases were searched for studies published from 2010 to October 2020. Studies that assessed the relationship between toxoplasmosis/toxoplasma and anxiety were included in the analysis. Synthesis of the results was the primary strategy for data analysis. Results: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 articles were selected. They had been conducted in Iran, the USA, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Finland, Mexico, Austria, and Denmark. In general, the results of 8 out of 11 investigated human studies indicated that T. gondii infection was associated with anxiety. Moreover, five of them were non-human studies, and most of them showed that T. gondii caused anxiety-related symptoms. Conclusion: The results of most studies showed that toxoplasmosis could be associated with anxiety. However, more studies are needed to look closely at how anxiety relates to this parasite.