Sex-dependent toxoplasmosis-associated differences in testosterone concentration in humans

Abstract

SUMMARYSeveral lines of indirect evidence suggest that subjects with latent infection of the coccidian parasiteToxoplasma gondiihave a higher concentration of testosterone than uninfected controls. Here, we searched for direct evidence of latent toxoplasmosis-associated differences in testosterone concentration among a population of 174 female and 91 male students screened forToxoplasmainfection. We have foundToxoplasma-infected men to have a higher concentration of testosterone andToxoplasma-infected women to have a lower concentration of testosterone thanToxoplasma-free controls. The opposite direction of the testosterone shift in men compared to women can explain the observed gender specificity of behavioural shifts inToxoplasma-infected subjects.