1. Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Borrelia burgdorferi infections in patients with multiple sclerosis in Poland.
- Author
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Pawełczyk A, Donskow-Łysoniewska K, Szewczak L, Kierasińska M, Machcińska M, Rola R, and Welc-Falęciak R
- Subjects
- Humans, Poland epidemiology, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Female, Male, Adult, Middle Aged, Immunoglobulin M blood, Retrospective Studies, Young Adult, Multiple Sclerosis epidemiology, Multiple Sclerosis microbiology, Multiple Sclerosis parasitology, Multiple Sclerosis immunology, Toxoplasmosis epidemiology, Toxoplasmosis immunology, Toxoplasmosis complications, Toxoplasma immunology, Lyme Disease epidemiology, Lyme Disease immunology, Borrelia burgdorferi immunology
- Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that affects mainly young people. It is believed that the autoimmune process observed in the pathogenesis of MS is influenced by a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors, including infectious agents. The results of this study suggest the protective role of Toxoplasma gondii infections in MS. Interestingly, high Toxoplasma IgM seropositivity in MS patients receiving immunomodulatory drugs (IMDs) was identified. On the other hand, Borrelia infections seem to be positively associated with MS. Although the interpretation of our results is limited by the retrospective nature of the studies, the results strongly indicate that further experimental and clinical studies are needed to explain the role of infectious agents in the development and pathophysiological mechanisms of MS., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2024
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