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Toxoplasma gondii has been reported as the cause of death of a giant panda kept in a zoo in China, who died in 2014 of acute gastroenteritis and respiratory disease. [111] Although seemingly anecdotal , this report emphasizes that all warm-blooded species are likely to be infected by T. gondii , including endangered species such as the giant panda.
Dividing T. gondii parasites. Toxoplasma gondii (/ ˈ t ɒ k s ə ˌ p l æ z m ə ˈ ɡ ɒ n d i. aɪ,-iː /) is a species of parasitic alveolate that causes toxoplasmosis. [3] Found worldwide, T. gondii is capable of infecting virtually all warm-blooded animals, [4]: 1 but felids are the only known definitive hosts in which the parasite may undergo sexual reproduction.
Toxoplasma gondii induces behavioural changes in rats by infecting central nervous system neurons. While some parasites exploit their hosts' typical immune responses, others seem to alter the immune response itself. For example, the typical immune response in rodents is characterized by heightened anxiety. [48]
Two apicomplexans, Toxoplasma gondii, within their host cell. Transmission electron microscopy. Obligate intracellular parasites cannot reproduce outside their host cell, meaning that the parasite's reproduction is entirely reliant on intracellular resources. All viruses are obligate intracellular parasites. Bacterial examples (that affect ...
An example of this behaviour is the attraction of rats to cat urine after infection with Toxoplasma gondii. [17] However, the "scientific metaphors, including anthropomorphisms" sometimes used in "popular media and the scientific literature" to describe the manipulation of host behavior have been described as "catchy, yet misleading". [18]
Toxoplasma chorioretinitis, more simply known as ocular toxoplasmosis, is possibly the most common cause of infections in the back of the eye (posterior segment) worldwide. The causitive agent is Toxoplasma gondii, and in the United States, most cases are acquired congenitally. The most common symptom is decreased visual acuity in one eye.
Jaroslav Flegr (born 12 March 1958) is a Czech parasitologist, evolutionary biologist, and author of the book Frozen Evolution. [2] He is professor of biology at the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, [3] and is a member of the editorial board of the journal Neuroendocrinology Letters.
Toxoplasma causes toxoplasmosis and can be acquired from undercooked meat or cat feces containing Toxoplasma gondii. The majority of the 60 million Americans infected with T. gondii are asymptomatic. The group most vulnerable to this pathogen are the fetuses of mothers who have been infected with the parasite for the first time during pregnancy.