How does toxoplasmosis reproduce?
Toxoplasma reproduces sexually only in cats. Organisms infecting the intestinal epithelium produce oocysts which are shed in the feces. Mature oocysts are approximately 12 μm in diameter and contain eight infective sporozoites.
How does Toxoplasma gondii reproduce asexually?
If ingested, e.g., through eating undercooked meat, bradyzoites are released from the tissue cysts in the gut, invade epithelial cells and differentiate into tachyzoites that initiate a new asexual cycle. Thus, T. gondii is able to disseminate via both the sexual and asexual cycles.
What are the stages of Toxoplasma?
There are three infectious stages of T. gondii: the tachyzoites (in groups or clones), the bradyzoites (in tissue cysts), and the sporozoites (in oocysts). These stages are linked in a complex life cycle (Fig.
What is the pathogenicity of Toxoplasma gondii?
Toxoplasma gondii is a parasitic protist infecting a wide group of warm-blooded animals, ranging from birds to humans. While this infection is usually asymptomatic in healthy individuals, it can also lead to severe ocular or neurological outcomes in immunocompromised individuals or in developing fetuses.
How does Toxoplasma gondii move?
During infection, T. gondii moves along the host cell surface using actomyosin-based gliding motility, attaches, and then rapidly invades, establishing a parasitophorous vacuole in which the parasite replicates [2]–[7] (Figure 1A). The invasion of the host cell is driven by parasite motility.
What does Toxoplasma gondii do?
When a person becomes infected with T. gondii , the parasite forms cysts that can affect almost any part of the body — often your brain and muscle tissue of different organs, including the heart. If you’re generally healthy, your immune system keeps the parasites in check.
What is the difference between Tachyzoite and Bradyzoite stages?
Tachyzoites (tachos = fast) refer to the rapidly growing life stage of T. gondii that has also been called endozoites or trophozoites. Bradyzoites (brady = slow), also called cystozoites, are the life stage found in the tissue cyst and are believed to replicate slowly.
What is trophozoite stage?
A trophozoite (G. trope, nourishment + zoon, animal) is the activated, feeding stage in the life cycle of certain protozoa such as malaria-causing Plasmodium falciparum and those of the Giardia group. (The complement of the trophozoite state is the thick-walled cyst form).
What are the two types of life cycles in Toxoplasma?
T gondii has 2 distinct life cycles. The sexual cycle occurs only in cats, the definitive host. The asexual cycle occurs in other mammals (including humans) and various strains of birds.
What taxonomic kingdom does Toxoplasma gondii belong to?
Domain: Eukarya; T. gondii is a single celled organism that contains a nucleus and has membrane bound organelles. Kingdom: Alveolata; This group contains protozoa that were found to have a common ancestor 900 million years ago.
What is the structure of Toxoplasma gondii?
Cysts of Toxoplasma gondii usually range in size from 5-50 µm in diameter. Cysts are usually spherical in the brain but more elongated in cardiac and skeletal muscles. They may be found in various sites throughout the body of the host, but are most common in the brain and skeletal and cardiac muscles.