PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Tabbara, Khalid F.
AU  - Sharara, Nariman A.
AU  - Al-Momen, Abdul-Kareem
TI  - Toxoplasmosis in a group of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient patients
DP  - 2001 Apr 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 330--332
VI  - 22
IP  - 4
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/22/4/330.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/22/4/330.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2001 Apr 01; 22
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This was a retrospective study that aimed at evaluating the relative risk of Toxoplasma infection in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency as compared to a control group with no glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.METHODS: Ninety-one blood donor volunteers had serology testing from Toxoplasma gondii and were screened for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency by a qualitative method using fluorescent spot test. They were all males and their ages ranged from 17 to 52 years.RESULTS: Fifty-three persons (58%) were glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient and 38 (42%) were glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase normal. In the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient group, 31 (58.5%) had positive titers for Toxoplasma; while in the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase normal group 9 persons (24%) had positive titers for Toxoplasma. The relative risk of infection was 2.5 times more in the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient group, a statistically significant difference with a p value of 0.002.CONCLUSION: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency seems to increase the risk for Toxoplasma infection by 2.5 fold probably due to decreased killing effect, of phagocytic cells.