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The association between Parkinson disease and Toxocara infection/exposure: A case-control study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2025

A. Alizadeh Khatir ,
A. Abbasi ,
S. Sarandili ,
M. Sepidarkish ,
A. Fazlollahpour-Naghibi ,
D. Arjmandi  and
A. Rostami Open the ORCID record for A. Rostami [Opens in a new window]
A. Alizadeh Khatir
Affiliation:
Mobility Impairment Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
A. Abbasi
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
S. Sarandili
Affiliation:
Curtin Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
M. Sepidarkish
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
A. Fazlollahpour-Naghibi
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
D. Arjmandi
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
A. Rostami*
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
*
Corresponding author: A. Rostami; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a prevalent neurological disorder and the second most common neurodegenerative disease. Research has explored the impact of infectious agents, such as the parasites, on neurological conditions, including PD. Given the limited studies worldwide and in Iran, this study aims to investigate the relationship between Toxocara infection and PD. This case-control study involved 91 PD patients and 90 healthy controls. After obtaining consent, serum samples and questionnaires were collected. All sera were examined using an ELISA test for IgG antibodies against Toxocara canis. Results were analyzed with SPSS, using chi-square tests, and odds ratios (OR), and confidence intervals (CI) were calculated via univariate and multivariate analyses. The prevalence of anti-Toxocara IgG was 33% (30/91) in PD patients and 33.3% (30/90) in the control group. Both univariate analysis (OR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.52–1.82) and multivariate analysis (OR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.49–1.83) indicated no statistically significant association. Additionally, univariate analysis (OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.16–1.5) and multivariate analysis (OR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.09–1.43) suggested non-significant association between Toxocara infection and the severity of PD. Our findings do not support a statistically significant association between Toxocara infection and the PD. While the analysis suggested that Toxocara infection might reduce the severity of PD, these results were also not statistically significant. Further research with larger sample sizes and diverse populations is needed to fully understand the potential relationship between Toxocara infection and PD.

Keywords

Parkinson’s diseaseToxocara infectionimmunoglobulin Gseroprevalenceassociation
Type
Research Paper
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 99 , 2025 , e40
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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