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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1463190

Associations of exposure to blood heavy metal mixtures with Toxoplasma infection among U.S. adults: A cross-sectional study

Provisionally accepted
Jilu Shen Jilu Shen 1,2*Jing Zhou Jing Zhou 1,2Chen Xing Chen Xing 1Yuting Chen Yuting Chen 1
  • 1 Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
  • 2 Anhui Public Health Clinical Center, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Mounting evidence suggests that environmental exposure to toxic metals poses various health risks. However, there is a dearth of information regarding how exposure to combinations of metals affects the likelihood of Toxoplasma infection. To investigate the distinct and overarching links between concurrent heavy metal exposure and Toxoplasma infection in adults, this study analyzed data from 10,746 individuals aged 20 to 80 years old, sourced from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Among this cohort, 1,869 individuals tested positive for Toxoplasma gondii IgG, while the remainder tested negative. The study examined both the individual and collective associations of three blood metalslead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg)with the risk of Toxoplasma infection. Single-metal logistic regression models indicated that each metal was independently linked to the risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Furthermore, Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis disclosed a non-linear association for blood Pb and a linear association for blood Hg with Toxoplasma gondii infection. When considering multiple metals, logistic regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, and quantile-based g computation (qgcomp) models consistently revealed a positive correlation between exposure to a mixture of heavy metals in the blood and the risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Subgroup analyses indicated that this correlation was particularly pronounced among younger and middle-aged individuals. Notably, the most robust association was observed between Pb and Toxoplasma gondii infection across all statistical methodologies.

    Keywords: Toxoplasma infection, heavy metal, Mixtures, NHANES, independent and comprehensive associations

    Received: 11 Jul 2024; Accepted: 04 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Shen, Zhou, Xing and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jilu Shen, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.