The Pathogen

Toxoplasma gondii, a coccidian in the phylum Apicomplexa, is an obligate intracellular parasite of global distribution, with seroprevalences reaching above 80% in some populations. Despite this high prevalence, serious complications from toxoplasmosis are rare in immuno-competent hosts and are largely limited to patients with suppressed or underdeveloped immune systems, such as AIDS patients, organ-transplant recipients, and neonates.

Toxoplasma also serves as a model organism for studying the invasion of other apicomplexan pathogens of medical and veterinary importance including the agents of Malaria and Cryptosporidiosis.


Scanning EM of Toxoplasma invading a Fibroblast cell