Dan Zhu , Haining Li , Chu Zhang , Ying Zhou , Jin Yang , Changzhou Feng
{"title":"刚地弓形虫感染与关节炎的关联:来自横断面研究和遗传流行病学分析的见解","authors":"Dan Zhu , Haining Li , Chu Zhang , Ying Zhou , Jin Yang , Changzhou Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.108086","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div><em>Toxoplasma gondii</em> (<em>T. gondii</em>), a ubiquitous protozoan infecting one-third of humanity, exhibits complex immunomodulatory properties. While experimental models suggest paradoxical roles in inflammation regulation, epidemiological data linking <em>T. gondii</em> to arthritis remain inconclusive, and the genetic causality unexplored. This multidisciplinary study integrates population epidemiology with genetic epidemiology to elucidate this relationship.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Analyzing 17,029 U S. adults from NHANES, we performed multivariable-adjusted logistic regression with complex survey weighting. Genetic correlations were assessed via linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC), complemented by bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) using GWAS data for three <em>T. gondii</em> serological markers (IgG, p22, sag1) and arthritis phenotypes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div><em>T. gondii</em> IgG seropositivity showed significant association with arthritis prevalence after multivariable adjustment (OR = 1.19, 95 % CI:1.03–1.38). Racial disparities were prominent, particularly in non-Hispanic whites across overall arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoarthritis (OA) (all <em>P</em><sub>interaction</sub><0.05). LDSC and forward MR revealed no genetic correlation or causal effect of <em>T. gondii</em> infection on arthritis phenotypes risk (all <em>P</em> > 0.05). Reverse MR demonstrated reduced <em>T. gondii</em> sag1 IgG levels in RA (OR = 0.92, 95 % CI:0.87–0.98) and OA (OR = 0.63, 95 % CI:0.44–0.88), suggesting impaired anti-parasitic humoral immunity.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our study reveals a complex duality: while chronic <em>T. gondii</em> exposure correlates with arthritis susceptibility in specific populations, the genetic evidence proposes a paradigm-shifting mechanism - autoimmune dysregulation in arthritis may compromise anti-parasitic antibody responses. This bidirectional relationship advances our understanding of infection-autoimmunity crosstalk, with critical implications for managing parasitic co-infections in rheumatological care.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18599,"journal":{"name":"Microbial pathogenesis","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108086"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Association of infection with Toxoplasma gondii and arthritis: Insights from a cross-sectional study and genetic epidemiology analysis\",\"authors\":\"Dan Zhu , Haining Li , Chu Zhang , Ying Zhou , Jin Yang , Changzhou Feng\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.micpath.2025.108086\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><h3>Background</h3><div><em>Toxoplasma gondii</em> (<em>T. gondii</em>), a ubiquitous protozoan infecting one-third of humanity, exhibits complex immunomodulatory properties. While experimental models suggest paradoxical roles in inflammation regulation, epidemiological data linking <em>T. gondii</em> to arthritis remain inconclusive, and the genetic causality unexplored. This multidisciplinary study integrates population epidemiology with genetic epidemiology to elucidate this relationship.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Analyzing 17,029 U S. adults from NHANES, we performed multivariable-adjusted logistic regression with complex survey weighting. Genetic correlations were assessed via linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC), complemented by bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) using GWAS data for three <em>T. gondii</em> serological markers (IgG, p22, sag1) and arthritis phenotypes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div><em>T. gondii</em> IgG seropositivity showed significant association with arthritis prevalence after multivariable adjustment (OR = 1.19, 95 % CI:1.03–1.38). Racial disparities were prominent, particularly in non-Hispanic whites across overall arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoarthritis (OA) (all <em>P</em><sub>interaction</sub><0.05). LDSC and forward MR revealed no genetic correlation or causal effect of <em>T. gondii</em> infection on arthritis phenotypes risk (all <em>P</em> > 0.05). Reverse MR demonstrated reduced <em>T. gondii</em> sag1 IgG levels in RA (OR = 0.92, 95 % CI:0.87–0.98) and OA (OR = 0.63, 95 % CI:0.44–0.88), suggesting impaired anti-parasitic humoral immunity.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our study reveals a complex duality: while chronic <em>T. gondii</em> exposure correlates with arthritis susceptibility in specific populations, the genetic evidence proposes a paradigm-shifting mechanism - autoimmune dysregulation in arthritis may compromise anti-parasitic antibody responses. This bidirectional relationship advances our understanding of infection-autoimmunity crosstalk, with critical implications for managing parasitic co-infections in rheumatological care.</div></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":18599,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Microbial pathogenesis\",\"volume\":\"209 \",\"pages\":\"Article 108086\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":3.5000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-10-01\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Microbial pathogenesis\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"3\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0882401025008113\",\"RegionNum\":3,\"RegionCategory\":\"医学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q3\",\"JCRName\":\"IMMUNOLOGY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Microbial pathogenesis","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0882401025008113","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"IMMUNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Association of infection with Toxoplasma gondii and arthritis: Insights from a cross-sectional study and genetic epidemiology analysis
Background
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), a ubiquitous protozoan infecting one-third of humanity, exhibits complex immunomodulatory properties. While experimental models suggest paradoxical roles in inflammation regulation, epidemiological data linking T. gondii to arthritis remain inconclusive, and the genetic causality unexplored. This multidisciplinary study integrates population epidemiology with genetic epidemiology to elucidate this relationship.
Methods
Analyzing 17,029 U S. adults from NHANES, we performed multivariable-adjusted logistic regression with complex survey weighting. Genetic correlations were assessed via linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC), complemented by bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) using GWAS data for three T. gondii serological markers (IgG, p22, sag1) and arthritis phenotypes.
Results
T. gondii IgG seropositivity showed significant association with arthritis prevalence after multivariable adjustment (OR = 1.19, 95 % CI:1.03–1.38). Racial disparities were prominent, particularly in non-Hispanic whites across overall arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoarthritis (OA) (all Pinteraction<0.05). LDSC and forward MR revealed no genetic correlation or causal effect of T. gondii infection on arthritis phenotypes risk (all P > 0.05). Reverse MR demonstrated reduced T. gondii sag1 IgG levels in RA (OR = 0.92, 95 % CI:0.87–0.98) and OA (OR = 0.63, 95 % CI:0.44–0.88), suggesting impaired anti-parasitic humoral immunity.
Conclusion
Our study reveals a complex duality: while chronic T. gondii exposure correlates with arthritis susceptibility in specific populations, the genetic evidence proposes a paradigm-shifting mechanism - autoimmune dysregulation in arthritis may compromise anti-parasitic antibody responses. This bidirectional relationship advances our understanding of infection-autoimmunity crosstalk, with critical implications for managing parasitic co-infections in rheumatological care.
期刊介绍:
Microbial Pathogenesis publishes original contributions and reviews about the molecular and cellular mechanisms of infectious diseases. It covers microbiology, host-pathogen interaction and immunology related to infectious agents, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa. It also accepts papers in the field of clinical microbiology, with the exception of case reports.
Research Areas Include:
-Pathogenesis
-Virulence factors
-Host susceptibility or resistance
-Immune mechanisms
-Identification, cloning and sequencing of relevant genes
-Genetic studies
-Viruses, prokaryotic organisms and protozoa
-Microbiota
-Systems biology related to infectious diseases
-Targets for vaccine design (pre-clinical studies)