Association between the seroprevalence of infectious pathogens and depression in U.S. adults

There is a paucity of knowledge concerning the relationship between exposure to various pathogens and depression in adults residing in the United States. The objective of the study was to examine the prevalence and severity of depression in populations at risk of viral infections and to investigate the potential association between these two factors.

This study was derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included 39,749 participants aged 20 years or older between 2005 and 2018. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was employed to assess the presence and severity of depressive symptoms. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the odds ratios and associations between viral seropositivity and depression.

Significant associations were observed between seropositivity for hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, and 18, and herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 and an increased risk of depression (all p-values < 0.05). No significant associations were observed for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis D virus (HDV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), or HSV type 1.

Seropositivity for HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18, HAV, HCV, HIV, and HSV-2 was significantly associated with depression in a representative sample of U.S. adults.