<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Infection and Suicidal Behavior in People with Alcohol Consumption

• Main Authors: Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel, Sergio Estrada-Martínez, Alma Rosa Pérez-Álamos, Isabel Beristain-García, Ángel Osvaldo Alvarado-Félix, Gustavo Alexis Alvarado-Félix, Antonio Sifuentes-Álvarez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Pathogens
• Subjects: suicidal behavior; cross-sectional study; alcohol consumption; seroprevalence; epidemiology
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/6/734
• ISSN: 2076-0817

We determined the association between <i>T. gondii</i> infection and suicidal behavior in people with alcohol consumption. One-thousand four-hundred and twenty-three people with alcohol consumption were screened for suicidal behavior and tested for anti-<i>T. gondii</i> IgG and IgM antibodies using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Anti-<i>T. gondii</i> IgG antibodies were found in 34 of 224 (15.2%) individuals with suicidal ideation and in 118 (9.8%) of 1199 individuals without suicidal ideation (OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.08–2.47; <i>p</i> = 0.01). Seropositivity to <i>T. gondii</i> was associated with suicidal ideation in women (OR: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.33–3.78; <i>p</i> = 0.001) and in individuals aged ≤30 years (OR: 2.68; 95% CI: 1.22–5.87; <i>p</i> = 0.01) and >50 years (OR: 2.85; 95% CI: 1.19–6.77; <i>p</i> = 0.01). Anti-<i>T. gondii</i> IgG antibodies were found in 17 of 136 (12.5%) individuals with suicide attempts and in 135 (10.5%) of 1287 individuals without suicide attempts (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 0.71–2.08; <i>p</i> = 0.47). Seroprevalence of <i>T. gondii</i> infection was associated with suicide attempts in women (OR: 1.88; 95% CI: 0.99–3.55; <i>p</i> = 0.04). No association between anti-<i>T. gondii</i> IgM and suicidal ideation or suicide attempts was found. Results suggest that <i>T. gondii</i> infection is associated with suicidal behavior in people with alcohol consumption.