@article{ref1,
title="Toxoplasma gondi infection and aggression in autistic children",
journal="Pediatric infectious disease journal",
year="2022",
author="Hamid, Najmeh and Azizy, Boshra and Hamidinejad, Hossein",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by the obligatory intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The main aim of this study was to evaluate a possible relationship between aggression in autistic children with infection by T. gondii. <br><br>METHODS: The research design was an analytical (comparative) cross sectional study. The participants included (N = 100) subjects (50 autistic and 50 normal children) between 3 and 12 years old. They were matched for age, socioeconomic status, lack of physical and mental illness. The instruments were preschool aggression scale and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedure to essay the blood sample test. Five milliliters of blood samples were collected to assess the presence of T. gondii infection. <br><br>RESULTS: The results showed that autistic children had a higher rate of infection by T. gondii than normal children. Furthermore, children infected with T. gondii were more aggressive than the noninfected group. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: In autistic children, T. gondii infection was significantly higher than in the normal group. Also, autistic children who were infected with the parasite were more aggressive.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0891-3668",
doi="10.1097/INF.0000000000003516",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/INF.0000000000003516"
}