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Toxoplasmose et cancer : connaissances actuelles et perspectives de recherche

Toxoplasmosis and cancer: Current knowledge and research perspectives

Bulletin de la Société de pathologie exotique volume 110, pages 76–79 (2017)Cite this article

Résumé

La toxoplasmose, causée par le protozoaire Toxoplasma gondii, est une des parasitoses les plus répandues, puisqu’on estime qu’elle affecte un tiers de la population humaine mondiale. De nombreuses études tendent à démontrer que l’infection peut entraîner des effets néfastes importants tels que favoriser la schizophrénie et les troubles bipolaires. De plus, deux études ont récemment mis en évidence une corrélation positive entre la prévalence des tumeurs malignes du cerveau et celle des infections à T. gondii à l’échelle nationale et internationale. Ces études étant corrélatives, elles ne démontrent pas de lien causal et appellent d’autres recherches qui pourraient mettre en lumière les éventuels mécanismes qui sous-tendent l’association entre T. gondii et tumeurs cérébrales.

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases; it is estimated to affect a third of the world’s human population. Many studies showed that latent toxoplasmosis may cause in some patients significant adverse effects including schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. In addition, two recent studies highlighted a positive correlation between the prevalence of brain tumors and that of T. gondii at national and international scale. These studies are correlative, thus they do not demonstrate a causal link between T. gondii and brain tumors. Yet, they call for further research that could shed light on the possible mechanisms underlying this association.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tour du Valat, Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes, Arles, France

    M. Vittecoq

  2. UMR (CNRS/IRD/UM) 5290 MIVEGEC, Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs, génétique, évolution et contrôle, Montpellier, France

    M. Vittecoq & F. Thomas

  3. CREEC, Centre de recherches écologiques et évolutives sur le cancer, Montpellier, France

    M. Vittecoq & F. Thomas

Authors
  1. M. Vittecoq
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  2. F. Thomas
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Correspondence to M. Vittecoq.

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Vittecoq, M., Thomas, F. Toxoplasmose et cancer : connaissances actuelles et perspectives de recherche. Bull. Soc. Pathol. Exot. 110, 76–79 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13149-016-0518-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13149-016-0518-x

Mots clés

  • Toxoplasma gondii
  • Tumeurs cérébrales
  • Géographie médicale

Keywords

  • Toxoplasma gondii
  • Brain tumor
  • Medical geography