The Effect of Chronic Toxoplasmosis on Serum Testosterone Levels in Men

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular infects both humans and animals. T. gondii parasitize in different organs even in testes and it was isolated from semen. The level of testosterone in the serum was evaluated for men with chronic toxoplasmosis.

One hundred twenty-one blood samples were collected from apparently healthy men with different age groups they were attending the teaching hospital in Al-Diwaniyah province. Three milliliters of blood drawn from each man, and then sera were separated by centrifugation. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody was detected. Same numbers of positive and negative sera were included in cases and control groups respectively, and then the quantitative determination of testosterone was analyzed in the serum of both groups.

Thirty eight (31.4%) out of 121 examined serum samples were given positive results for T. gondii IgG antibodies. The results indicated a high rate of infection among males in different age groups, especially in the 30-44 years group. The testosterone levels appeared that the hormone concentration was relatively higher in the case group than in the control group at ages 15-29 years with significant differences (P<0.05). People who live in cities compared to rural residents and those who keep cats compared to others recorded a higher rate (39. 14% and 35.71 % respectively) of anti-T. gondii IgG.

We conclude from the current study that the rate of infection with T. gondii is high among men and increases during the active period of maturity and is affected by some risk factors such as type of housing and ownership of cats and has an impact on their testosterone levels.