Host sensing and signal transduction during Toxoplasma stage conversion

What is it about?

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite of animals that has infected one-third of the human population. The parasite has a complex life cycle involving multiple hosts, exclusively using felids to complete the sexual stage, which culminates in the release of billions of dormant infectious oocysts into the environment. Within individual hosts, Toxoplasma can also convert into a latent tissue cyst that is transmitted through predation. The ability to shift between replicative and dormant stages is central to pathogenesis and transmission of Toxoplasma, necessitating an understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving stage conversion.

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Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash