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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #363356
Research Project: Detection and Control of Foodborne Parasites for Food Safety

Location: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory

Title: The history and life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii

Author
item Dubey, Jitender

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2020
Publication Date: 3/19/2020
Citation: Dubey, J.P. 2020. The history and life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii. In: Weiss, L.M., Kim, K. Toxoplasma gondii. Third Edition. Academic Press. London. 1-19.

Interpretive Summary: Toxoplasmosis, caused by the single celled parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, continues to be a public health problem worldwide. This parasite infects all warm-blooded hosts, including humans. It causes mental retardation and loss of vision in children, and abortion in livestock. The ingestion of food and water contaminated with resistant stage of the parasite, the oocyst, is a major mode of transmission of this parasite. Of all the hosts infected, only cats are known to excrete oocysts in feces. Cats can excrete millions of oocysts after eating an infected prey, such as a mouse or a bird. Oocysts can survive outdoors for months and they are highly infectious to humans. Prevention of T. gondii infection in food animals is essential for reducing infection in humans. In this review, the author discusses history, life cycle, and prevention of toxoplasmosis in humans and animals. The paper will be of interest to biologists, public health workers and parasitologists.

Technical Abstract: Toxoplasmosis, caused by the single celled parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, continues to be a public health problem worldwide. This parasite infects all warm-blooded hosts, including humans. It causes mental retardation and loss of vision in children, and abortion in livestock. The ingestion of food and water contaminated with resistant stage of the parasite, the oocyst, is a major mode of transmission of this parasite. Of all the hosts infected, only cats are known to excrete oocysts in feces. Cats can excrete millions of oocysts after eating an infected prey, such as a mouse or a bird. Oocysts can survive outdoors for months and they are highly infectious to humans. Prevention of T. gondii infection in food animals is essential for reducing infection in humans. In this review, the author discusses history, life cycle, and prevention of toxoplasmosis in humans and animals. The paper will be of interest to biologists, public health workers and parasitologists.