Exploring the Association Between Latent <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Infection and COVID-19: A Case-Control Study

Introduction: The current research sought to investigate the potential connection between COVID-19 and latent infection with Toxoplasma gondii in a case-control study of both hospitalized patients and healthy individuals in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, southern Iran. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 215 patients with COVID-19 and 215 healthy individuals who tested negative for COVID-19 via RT-PCR. The blood serum was isolated and examined for the presence of anti-T. gondii antibodies (IgG) with a commercially accessible enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) test kit. Results: The study found that 113/215 (52.6%) of the COVID-19 cases tested positive for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies, compared to 100/215 (46/5%) of healthy individuals. The results of the study showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of latent toxoplasmosis between healthy individuals and COVID-19 patients (P&lt;0.210). The mean age of the participants was 47.8 years with a standard deviation of 22.3, ranging from 1 to 95 years. Among the 430 participants, 209 (48.6%) were male, while 221 (51.4%) were female. Although there was no statistically significant difference in the average age between males and females, the average age of patients with COVID-19 was higher compared control group (P value=0.004). Conclusion: We did not find a substantial association between latent infection with T. gondii and COVID-19. It is recommended that future research should involve multicenter studies in various geographical areas to provide more precise insights for healthcare decision-making.