Correlates of Anti-Toxoplasma IgG Antibodies in Females with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study

Marie Ociskova,1,2 Jan Prasko,1– 4 Kamila Belohradova,1 Jozef Visnovsky,1,5 Jakub Vanek,6 Samuel Genzor,7 Pavel Sauer,8 Klara Latalova1 1Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University in Olomouc, Olomouc, the Czech Republic; 2Rehabilitation Hospital Beroun, Jessenia Inc, Akeso Holding, Beroun, the Czech Republic; 3Department of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Science and Health Care, Constantine the Philosopher University, Nitra, the Slovak Republic; 4Department of Psychotherapy, Institute for Postgraduate Training in Health Care, Prague, the Czech Republic; 5AGE Centrum, Olomouc, The Czech Republic; 6Beskydy Mental Health Centre, Frydek Mistek Hospital, Frydek Mistek, the Czech Republic; 7Department of Respiratory Diseases and Tuberculosis, University Hospital Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine, Palacky University in Olomouc, Olomouc, the Czech Republic; 8Department of Microbiology, University Hospital Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine, Palacky University in Olomouc, Olomouc, the Czech RepublicCorrespondence: Jan Prasko, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University in Olomouc, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, the Czech Republic, Email [email protected]: Latent Toxoplasma gondii infection has been associated with various mental health conditions, but its potential role in the pathophysiology of borderline personality disorder (BPD) remains unclear. This pilot study investigated associations of anti-Toxoplasma IgG seropositivity with the severity of BPD symptoms among adult females with BPD.Methods: The sample consisted of 77 female patients diagnosed with BPD who were admitted for psychotherapeutic inpatient care for the personality disorder. T. gondii antibodies (IgG, IgA, and IgM) were measured using ELISA. Psychiatric and psychological assessments included Clinical Global Impression for BPD, Borderline Evaluation of Severity over Time, Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory-II. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Fisher’s exact test, χ2 test, t-tests, and Mann–Whitney U-tests.Results: Only nine patients (11.7%) were seropositive for T. gondii IgG antibodies. Although none of the hypothesized differences reached statistical significance, several medium-sized effects indicated potentially clinically relevant differences between the seropositive and seronegative groups. Specifically, the seropositive group reported more suicidal ideations during the past year (d = 0.67) and exhibited less severe symptoms of abandonment (d = 0.67) and depression (d = 0.57). The remaining symptoms showed small (suicidality, aggression, anger, and anxiety) or marginal (overall BPD severity, impulsivity) differences between the two groups.Conclusion: This exploratory pilot study observed lower anti-Toxoplasma IgG seropositivity among patients with BPD than previously expected. Although the findings were not statistically significant, several trends indicated that seropositive patients might differ from the seronegative group. These preliminary results should be viewed as hypothesis-generating and validated in larger samples.Keywords: Toxoplasma gondii, latent toxoplasmosis, borderline personality disorder, aggression, suicidality