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

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.