Toxoplasma Gondii
Common Name: Toxoplasma
Scientific Name: Toxoplasma gondii
Phylum: Apicomplexa
Class: Conoidasida
Other Taxonomy: Subclass: Coccidiasina Order: Eucoccidiorida Family: Sarcocystidae Subfamily: Toxoplasmatinae
Specimen #: 9
Circumstance: Observed online
Specimen Condition: Specimen condition presumed dead
Location: Unknown (online)
Typical Habitat: Inside felines and humans
Invasive? Not invasive
Natural area of growth: Inside hosts
Relationship with humans: Toxoplasmosis is considered to be a leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States. More than 60 million men, women, and children in the U.S. carry the Toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.
Evolutionary Significance:
The only known definitive hosts for Toxoplasma gondii are members of family Felidae (domestic cats and their relatives). Unsporulated oocysts are shed in the cat’s feces . Although oocysts are usually only shed for 1-2 weeks, large numbers may be shed. Oocysts take 1-5 days to sporulate in the environment and become infective. Intermediate hosts in nature (including birds and rodents) become infected after ingesting soil, water or plant material contaminated with oocysts . Oocysts transform into tachyzoites shortly after ingestion. These tachyzoites localize in neural and muscle tissue and develop into tissue cyst bradyzoites . Cats become infected after consuming intermediate hosts harboring tissue cysts . Cats may also become infected directly by ingestion of sporulated oocysts. Animals bred for human consumption and wild game may also become infected with tissue cysts after ingestion of sporulated oocysts in the environment . Humans can become infected by any of several routes:
Sources: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/
Scientific Name: Toxoplasma gondii
Phylum: Apicomplexa
Class: Conoidasida
Other Taxonomy: Subclass: Coccidiasina Order: Eucoccidiorida Family: Sarcocystidae Subfamily: Toxoplasmatinae
Specimen #: 9
Circumstance: Observed online
Specimen Condition: Specimen condition presumed dead
Location: Unknown (online)
Typical Habitat: Inside felines and humans
Invasive? Not invasive
Natural area of growth: Inside hosts
Relationship with humans: Toxoplasmosis is considered to be a leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States. More than 60 million men, women, and children in the U.S. carry the Toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.
Evolutionary Significance:
The only known definitive hosts for Toxoplasma gondii are members of family Felidae (domestic cats and their relatives). Unsporulated oocysts are shed in the cat’s feces . Although oocysts are usually only shed for 1-2 weeks, large numbers may be shed. Oocysts take 1-5 days to sporulate in the environment and become infective. Intermediate hosts in nature (including birds and rodents) become infected after ingesting soil, water or plant material contaminated with oocysts . Oocysts transform into tachyzoites shortly after ingestion. These tachyzoites localize in neural and muscle tissue and develop into tissue cyst bradyzoites . Cats become infected after consuming intermediate hosts harboring tissue cysts . Cats may also become infected directly by ingestion of sporulated oocysts. Animals bred for human consumption and wild game may also become infected with tissue cysts after ingestion of sporulated oocysts in the environment . Humans can become infected by any of several routes:
- eating undercooked meat of animals harboring tissue cysts .
- consuming food or water contaminated with cat feces or by contaminated environmental samples (such as fecal-contaminated soil or changing the litter box of a pet cat) .
- blood transfusion or organ transplantation .
- transplacentally from mother to fetus .
Sources: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/