Parasitology

Table of Contents - April 2008 - Volume 135, Issue 04  

Original Articles

Sex-dependent toxoplasmosis-associated differences in testosterone concentration in humans

J. FLEGRa1 c1, J. LINDOVÁa1a2 and P. KODYMa3

a1 Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic

a2 Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Husníkova 2075, 155 00, Prague 13, Czech Republic

a3 National Reference Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis, National Institute of Public Health, Šrobárova 48, 100 42, Prague 10, Czech Republic

SUMMARY

Several lines of indirect evidence suggest that subjects with latent infection of the coccidian parasite Toxoplasma gondii have a higher concentration of testosterone than uninfected controls. Here, we searched for direct evidence of latent toxoplasmosis-associated differences in testosterone concentration among a population of 174 female and 91 male students screened for Toxoplasma infection. We have found Toxoplasma-infected men to have a higher concentration of testosterone and Toxoplasma-infected women to have a lower concentration of testosterone than Toxoplasma-free controls. The opposite direction of the testosterone shift in men compared to women can explain the observed gender specificity of behavioural shifts in Toxoplasma-infected subjects.

(Received July 06 2007)

(Revised September 07 2007)

(Accepted November 27 2007)

(Online publication January 21 2008)

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Correspondence:

c1 Corresponding author: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44 Praha 2, Czech Republic. Tel: +420 221951821. Fax: +420 224919704. E-mail: flegr@cesnet.cz

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