Toxoplasmosis in a group of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient patients

ABSTRACT

This was a retrospective study that aimed at evaluating the relative risk of Toxoplasma infection in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency as compared to a control group with no glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. Ninety-one blood donor volunteers had serology testing from Toxoplasma gondii and were screened for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency by a qualitative method using fluorescent spot test. They were all males and their ages ranged from 17 to 52 years. Fifty-three persons [58%] were glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient and 38 [42%] were glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase normal. In the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient group, 31 [58.5%] had positive titers for Toxoplasma; while in the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase normal group 9 persons [24%] had positive titers for Toxoplasma. The relative risk of infection was 2.5 times more in the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient group, a statistically significant difference with a p value of 0.002. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency seems to increase the risk for Toxoplasma infection by 2.5 fold probably due to decreased killing effect, of phagocytic cells