Toxoplasma gondii infection and traffic accidents. Epidemiologic evidence of a poorly understood association
Keywords:
toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasma gondii infection, traffic accidents.Abstract
Recent investigations, in which the detection of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies has been used as a diagnostic tool for latent toxoplasmosis, have shown an association between chronic infection by the parasite and decreased cognitive functions, psychiatric illnesses (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive - compulsive disorders), degenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease) and behavioral changes (greater frequency of suicidal behaviors and, above all, traffic accidents). In the reviewed literature, several studies demonstrated significantly higher seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii in groups of people involved in traffic accidents than in their corresponding control groups. The unavailability of adequate drugs against T. gondii bradyzoites and effective vaccines against the parasite, in addition to not allowing the demonstration of a possible causal relationship, hinders what could be a complementary way to control traffic accidents, a problem of universal daily life with very adverse human and social consequences. In perspective, overcoming these limitations should receive adequate attention, both from the health authorities and from academia. In this direction, the purpose of this document is to contribute to raising awareness of the existence of this association.
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