SUU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 576: Henvendelse af 24/9-20 fra Bo Hembæk Svensson om sammenhæng mellem toxoplasmose og covid-19

Sundheds- og Ældreudvalget 2019-20
SUU Alm.del Bilag 576
Offentligt

Copenhagen, September 24

, 2020.

v.2.0

Bo Hembæk Svensson,

Toxoplasma Research

[email protected]

To: Sundhedsministeriet, Sundhedsstyrelsen and Statens Serum Institut

cc: Working Group for Tg (v/FVST)

cc:

Whom it may concern.

Covid-19 cytokine findings match those of toxoplasmosis. Action must be taken. Authorities can not keep

ignoring that Covid-19 and toxoplasmosis has a huge overlap in virtually ALL aspects. Ignoring this could

be fatal if the data points are correct.

This document is a supplement to our previous documents on “Covid/Toxoplasma correlations” of March

April, May and June. All documents can be found on the homepage of the Parliament of Denmark.

Please

refer to these for a comprehensive list of overlaps between Toxoplasma and Covid-19.

For further information on Toxoplasma, please see

this

overview article.

Covid-19 keeps surprising as the Coronavirus family usually is related to “common cold”. However Covid-19

displays a set of completely new symptoms for this type of virus and its general pathology;

“..a clear picture is elusive, as the

virus acts like no pathogen humanity has ever seen

”

(Science, April 2020)

There is an almost perfect overlap between the symptoms presented in Covid and in acute toxoplasmosis.

This overlap extends to outcomes, suggested treatments, and pathways for activation of acute

toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasma is – by far – the most prevalent infection among humans, and its distribution and proliferation

are clearly mirrored in Covid-19 cases, pathology and fatalities

In this research note we elucidate the exact overlap in the cytokines involved in Covid-19 and those

involved in the pathology of toxoplasmosis:

COVID

“Thirty-eight out of the 48 measured cytokines in the plasma of 2019-nCoV-infected patients were

significantly elevated compared to healthy individuals.

Seventeen cytokines were linked to 2019-nCoV

loads

. Fifteen cytokines, namely

M-CSF,

IL-10, IFN- 2,

IL-17, IL-4,

IP-10,

IL-7,

IL-1ra,

G-CSF,

IL-12,

IFN-

IL-1

IL-2,

HGF

and

PDGF-BB,

were strongly associated with the lung-injury”

https://academic.oup.com/nsr/article/7/6/1003/5800998

SUU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 576: Henvendelse af 24/9-20 fra Bo Hembæk Svensson om sammenhæng mellem toxoplasmose og covid-19

Toxoplasma

As shown here, there is a perfect match:

“There is strong experimental evidence that the cytokines play a major role in the pathogenesis of

Toxoplasma gondii

and manipulation of these cytokines can put forth a beneficial or damaging effect on

the host and thus modulate the disease pathology.

The importance of interferon gamma (IFN-

) was clearly demonstrated when the neutralization of

interleukin (IL) IL-12 and of IFN- using anti-IFN- & anti-IL-12 monoclonal antibodies (MAb) resulted in

reactivation and loss of control on the parasite’s multiplication leading to disease. Cytokine IL-27 was

deemed as an endogenous suppresser on

IL-17, the inflammatory cytokine that is capable of enhancing the

inflammatory response in the brain. Although Toxoplasma is an intracellular pathogen thereby requiring a

cell mediated immune response from the host, the cytokine

IL-10 protects the infected mice from an

exaggerated cellular immune response by inhibiting the production of pro inflammatory cytokines:

IL12,

IFN-

, and TNF- . Following Toxoplasma infection the host triggers a sequential balanced cytokine

response to limit the infection and the disease pathology. However, cytokines can sometimes exert a

negative effect on the host and augment the disease leading to severe irreversible tissue damage.”

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Toxoplasmosis-%3A-Role-of-Cytokines-in-Disease-%26-Iqbal-Al-A

wadhi/217d5b243d27c4f34c3c591272cf2708d2173acc

“The present study shows both a

human platelet activation by free tachyzoites of T. gondii and human

platelet-mediated cytoinhibition of T. gondii intracellular growth invitro, in the absence of antibodies. The

results suggest a prominent role of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in this phenomenon.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1904904/

“All 4 canonical pathways altered by type II strain infection involved signaling (see Data Set S6), and genes

within these pathways were generally upregulated. Among them, the prolactin and hepatocyte growth

factor (HGF) signaling pathways were the most enriched.”

https://iai.asm.org/content/79/3/1363

“The findings substantiate a separate, T. gondii-induced pathway of astroglia activation characterized by

the release of

IL-1 which

may drive local inflammatory reaction both at initial infection of the brain and

during reactivating toxoplasmosis.

”

“Of these cytokines,

M-CSF and GM-CSF proved to regulate growth and differentiation of microglia; IL-1,

IL-6, and TNF-a those of astrocytes.”

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eji.1830270633

“Culture supernatants from spleen cells derived from

IL-4-deficient mice contained significantly more

gamma interferon than those derived from IL-4+/+ mice at day 7 postinfection. Conversely,

IL-10

production was significantly greater from the spleen cells derived from wild-type mice at day 28

postinfection.”

https://iai.asm.org/content/64/3/897.short

SUU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 576: Henvendelse af 24/9-20 fra Bo Hembæk Svensson om sammenhæng mellem toxoplasmose og covid-19

“IP-10 Is Critical for Effector T Cell Trafficking and Host Survival in Toxoplasma gondii Infection.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1074761300802009

“IL-7 stimulates protective immunity in mice against the intracellular pathogen, Toxoplasma gondii.”

https://www.jimmunol.org/content/157/5/2103.short

“Toxoplasma gondii Induces Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) and Granulocyte-Macrophage

Colony-Stimulating Factor Secretion by Human Fibroblasts: Implications for Neutrophil Apoptosis.”

https://iai.asm.org/content/70/11/6048.short

“Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as

IL-1

, IL-1 , IL-6, and IL-10

increased rapidly at week 1

post-infection (PI) and

peaked at week 3.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3121066/

“A study was undertaken to determine the kinetics and mechanism of the observed downregulation

of interleukin 2 (IL-2) production during experimental murine toxoplasmosis”

https://iai.asm.org/content/62/7/2908.short

There is no protocol in place that tests patients and/or deceased for the presence of Toxoplasma

tachyzoites/acute toxoplasmosis. Why is that?

All quotes above are from peer-reviewed material. We will be happy to share this with anyone willing to

assist in the elucidation of the above correlations.