Association Between Toxoplasma gondii Genotypes (Types I, II, III) and Spontaneous Abortion in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between T. gondii genotypes (types I, II, III) and cases of spontaneous abortion in humans. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, and ScienceDirect) were searched for studies published in the last 10 years. Observational studies evaluating T. gondii genotypes in abortion cases were included. Results: Eight cross-sectional studies were included. A pooled positivity proportion for T. gondii of approximately 20% was observed among abortion cases, with substantial heterogeneity (I2 > 90%). Genotype distribution varied across studies, with types I and III being the most frequently reported. Conclusions: Available evidence suggests a possible association between T. gondii infection and spontaneous abortion; however, the role of specific genotypes remains uncertain due to limited and heterogeneous data. More multicenter studies are needed to robustly address the issue.
Authors
- Fabrício Souza Campos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5948-472X)
- Janne Marques Silveira
- Fábio Pegoraro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0715-0867)
- Sandro Estevan Moron (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1359-6160)
- Walmirton Bezerra D’Alessandro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2897-9770)
- Érica Eugênio Lourenço Gontijo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5975-5596)
- Gil Rodrigues dos Santos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3830-9463)
- Ana Maria de Castro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3327-967X)
- Sara Falcão de Sousa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4172-0306)
- J. B. S. Borges
- Claudia Denise Mendanha Mangueira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2544-9325)
- Gessyk Monteiro Marques
- Silvio Carneiro Cunha Filho
- Kelly Mayanny Inácio Silva
- Samara Tatielle Monteiro Gomes
- Marcos Gontijo da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6474-6640)
- Raphael Gomes Ferreira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1199-937X)
- João Bartholomeu Neto
Institutions
- Universidade Federal do Tocantins (BR)
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (BR)
- Universidade Federal de Goiás (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Parasitologia
- Published
- 2026-05-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia6030027
- Primary Topic
- Toxoplasma gondii Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00