Lack of Association Between Infection and Diabetes Mellitus: A Matched Case-Control Study in a Mexican Population

Background: Very little is known about the association between infection with Toxoplasma gondii () and diabetes mellitus. We perform an age- and gender-matched case-control study to determine the association of infection and diabetes mellitus.

Methods: Cases included 156 patients with diabetes mellitus and 156 controls without diabetes mellitus who attended in two public clinics in Durango City, Mexico. Sera of cases and controls were tested for the presence of anti- IgG and IgM antibodies using commercially available enzyme-linked fluorescence assays (ELFA).

Results: Anti- IgG antibodies were found in 10 (6.4%) of the 156 cases and in five (3.2%) of the 156 controls (odds ratio (OR): 2.06; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69 - 6.19; P = 0.18). The frequency of high (> 150 IU/mL) anti- IgG levels in seropositive cases (1/10: 10.0%) was comparable to the one (1/5: 20%) in seropositive controls (OR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.02 - 9.03; P = 1.00). None of the 10 cases and five controls with seropositivity to anti- IgG antibodies were positive for anti- IgM antibodies. Stratification by gender showed similar frequencies of infection in female cases (7/107: 6.5%) and female controls (4/107: 3.7%) (OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 0.51 - 6.34; P = 0.53), and in male cases (3/49: 6.1%) and male controls (1/49: 2.0%) (OR: 3.13; 95% CI: 0.31 - 31.19; P = 0.61).

Conclusions: We conclude that there is not serological evidence of an association between infection and diabetes mellitus in the studied subjects in Durango City, Mexico. Further studies to elucidate the role of in diabetes should be conducted.