Is Toxoplasma gondii Infection a Cause or a Coincidence in an Adolescent with Psychosis?

Hüsniye Yucel; Burak Acikel; F Nur Öz; Saliha Senel

doi:10.1055/s-0040-1716864

Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Inhaltsverzeichnis

J Pediatr Infect Dis 2021; 16(03): 134-136
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1716864

Case Report

Is Toxoplasma gondii Infection a Cause or a Coincidence in an Adolescent with Psychosis?

Autoren

Hüsniye Yucel

¹Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
Burak Acikel

²Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
F Nur Öz

³Department of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
Saliha Senel

¹Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

Abstract

Although presumed to be relatively harmless in immunocompetent patients, toxoplasmosis has been linked to several psychiatric problems such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and suicidal/aggressive behaviors. We describe an 11-year-old young adolescent girl with psychoses who was ultimately diagnosed with toxoplasmosis. It is an unusual presentation of Toxoplasma gondii infection that adds new knowledge to the current level of literature about the substantial role of Toxoplasma gondii in the etiology of neuropsychiatric diseases. We propose that screening for toxoplasmosis is needed besides other etiologies in differential diagnosis of psychiatric symptoms particularly in endemic areas.

Keywords

Toxoplasma gondii - toxoplasmosis - psychosis - hallucinations - adolescent

Volltext

Referenzen

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