Explore the association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and stress, depression in pregnant women in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Toxoplasmosis is one of the zoonotic diseases caused by Toxoplasma gondii; the hosts included warm-blooded animals and human. People may remain to stay asymptomatic and may infect for life. The prevalence is estimated between 25% and 30% globally. The main aim of the current study was to explore the association between depression, stress and latent infection of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women in Saudi Arabia. The current study was the case-control to compare between two target groups. The first group was pregnant women in various trimesters of pregnancy with latent toxoplasmosis, and the second group was pregnant women also in different stages of pregnancy without T. gondii infection. There was a significant correlation between pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis and depression (defined by cortisol level) (P<0.05) but the non-significant correlation with stress (defined by testosterone level) (P>0.05). Latent toxoplasmosis in Saudi pregnant women may increase the cortisol and may cause depression among the pregnant women.