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Infectious Agents are Associated with Psychiatric Diseases
Daniela Lydia Krause1, Elif Weidinger1, Judith Matz1
1Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich.
Mental Illness
|December 6, 2014
Summary
Chronic infections like herpes simplex virus (HSV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) are more prevalent in schizophrenia patients compared to those with Tourette syndrome (TS). This suggests differing vulnerabilities to infectious agents in these neurological disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Infectious Diseases
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Persistent infectious agents can remain dormant in the host after initial infection.
- Chronic infections are implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and Tourette syndrome (TS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distribution of neurotrophic infectious agents in patients with TS, schizophrenia, and healthy controls.
- To compare the prevalence of antibodies against specific infectious agents between schizophrenia and TS patients.
Main Methods:
- Antibody levels against cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), Epstein-Barr virus, Toxoplasma, Mycoplasma, and Chlamydia trachomatis/pneumoniae were evaluated.
- A total of 93 individuals, including schizophrenic patients, TS patients, and controls, were included in the study.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients showed a higher prevalence of HSV and CMV antibodies compared to TS patients (P=0.017 for both).
- Associations were found between schizophrenia, TS, and healthy controls for Chlamydia trachomatis (P=0.007), HSV (P=0.027), and CMV (P=0.029).
- Schizophrenic patients had a higher overall rate of antibodies to combined infectious agents than TS patients (P=0.049).
Conclusions:
- Schizophrenia and TS patients exhibit distinct vulnerabilities to infectious agents.
- Schizophrenia patients appear more susceptible to viral infections than TS patients.
- These findings may indicate altered immune parameters in schizophrenia and TS.
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