{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,8]],"date-time":"2026-05-08T10:24:59Z","timestamp":1778235899269,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,19]],"date-time":"2024-11-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1731974400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>Research increasingly links environmental exposure to toxic metals with health risks, yet the effect of combined metal exposure on <jats:italic>Toxoplasma<\/jats:italic> infection remains underexplored. This study investigates the relationship between concurrent heavy metal exposure and <jats:italic>Toxoplasma<\/jats:italic> infection in adults.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>We analyzed data from 10,746 adults aged 20\u201380 from NHANES, with 1,869 positive for <jats:italic>Toxoplasma gondii<\/jats:italic> IgG. The study assessed associations between lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) with <jats:italic>Toxoplasma<\/jats:italic> infection risk using single-metal logistic regression, RCS analysis, WQS regression, and qgcomp models.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Each metal showed an independent association with <jats:italic>Toxoplasma<\/jats:italic> infection risk. Pb had a non-linear association, while Hg had a linear one. Analysis of multiple metals indicated a positive correlation between heavy metal exposure and infection risk, particularly in younger and middle-aged adults, with Pb showing the strongest link.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Our findings reveal a significant association between heavy metal exposure and <jats:italic>Toxoplasma<\/jats:italic> infection risk, especially in younger demographics, with lead being a key factor. This highlights the importance of understanding environmental metal exposure\u2019s impact on public health and informs the development of prevention strategies.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1463190","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,19]],"date-time":"2024-11-19T06:18:43Z","timestamp":1731997123000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Associations of exposure to blood heavy metal mixtures with Toxoplasma infection among U.S. adults: a cross-sectional 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