Chronic Toxoplasma gondii, Pregnancy reactivation, and Perinatal Depression

项目总结/摘要 弓形虫是一种无处不在的寄生虫，感染了世界上三分之一的人口。它仍然在一个 潜伏状态，包裹在受感染宿主的脑和肌肉组织中的囊肿中。很少再激活 发生，通常只有当宿主已成为显着的免疫抑制。但新兴 文献表明慢性潜伏感染并非无害。有报道称 抑郁症、精神分裂症、自杀倾向、异常行为和偏头痛。弓形虫IgG滴度 在慢性感染者身上。此外，一些报告表明T.弓形虫可以在健康， 免疫力正常的孕妇。这些关系尚未得到系统的研究， 围产期妇女。 本研究拟通过以下方法研究潜伏性弓形虫感染与抑郁症的关系： 妊娠期和产后早期T.刚地阳性西班牙裔女性西班牙裔女性在 1型血清型和一种新的高毒力菌株的风险。研究了T. 在啮齿动物模型和人类中进行了弓形虫感染，但未在围产期妇女中进行。的 研究小组报告了T.孕中期弓形虫IgG滴度与孕中期下降 孕妇在拟议的研究中，社会经济学和原产国，细胞因子和 将在整个妊娠期间确定免疫抑制。IgG滴度与 产后抑郁症也将进行研究。霸王弓形虫阴性对照组将提供 对比 第二个目标是确定T.潜伏性弓形虫感染孕妇的弓形虫再激活 T.弓形虫感染IgG滴度阳性的女性将在整个妊娠期间随访滴度变化， 症状，和那些与视网膜疤痕，证据的重新激活脉络膜视网膜炎。 第三个目标是探索活速殖子穿过胎盘进入胎儿的可能性 T.弓形虫阳性的女性

Project Summary/Abstract Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous parasite that infects one third of the world's population. It remains in a latent state, encapsulated in cysts in the brain and muscle tissue of infected hosts. Reactivation rarely occurs, and usually only when the host has become significantly immunosuppressed. However, emerging literature suggests that chronic, latent infection is not innocuous. There have been reports associating depression, schizophrenia, suicidality, unusual behaviors, and migraine headaches with T. gondii IgG titers in chronically infected individuals. In addition, a few reports suggest that T. gondii can reactivate in healthy, immunocompetent pregnant women. These relationships have not yet been studied systematically in perinatal women. This proposal will study the relationships between latent T.gondii infection and depression through pregnancy and the early postpartum in T. gondii positive Hispanic women. Hispanic women are at highest risk for the type 1 serotype and a new highly virulent strain. Studies of behavioral and mood effects of T. gondii infection in both rodent models and humans have been done, but not in perinatal women. The research team has reported a relationship between T. gondii IgG titers and depression in second trimester pregnant women. In the proposed study, the role of socioeconomics and country of origin, cytokines, and immunosuppression will be determined across pregnancy. The relationship between IgG titer and depression in the postpartum will also be studied. A T. gondii negative control group will provide comparison. The second goal is to determine the true incidence of T. gondii reactivation in pregnant women with latent T. gondii infection. Women with positive IgG titers will be followed through pregnancy for changes in titer, symptoms, and for those with retinal scars, evidence of reactivation of chorioretinitis. The third goal is to explore the possibility of live tachyzoites transiting across the placenta into the fetal blood stream in T. gondii positive women.