The pathogenic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii :: Essays Papers

The pathogenic protozoan Toxoplasma gondiiLife HistoryT. gondii is a sponger of warm blooded animals which is present without the world. It is the causative agent of the diseases cognise as Toxoplasmosis.The organism exhibits a definitive protozoan lifestyle.The life pass bring forths with an oocyst in the intestines of cats, the definitive legion of T. gondii. The oocyst contains bradyzoites or sporozoites. Oocysts enter prospective hosts through ingestion of cat fecal matter. Once inside a host, bradyzoites, after(prenominal) being released from the oocyst, infect the intestinal mucosa. Within the host cell, tachyzoites rapidly divide, at lead rupturing the cell. The released tachyzoites spread throughout the host, repeating the lysis process or forming zoitocysts (which are, like oocysts, fill with bradyzoites) in host tissue. Three weeks after infection, there are no longer tachyzoites present in the tissues. The cysts reenter the cycle when ingested by another host, u nless the host is a cat. In this case, oocysts will be formed in the cats intestine and will be shed.Life Cycle IllustrationMicrobiological characteristicsT. gondii is a protozoan (eukaryote) which exists in several distinct stages. GRAPHToxoplasmosis Most people who are infected with Toxoplasma gondii are asymptomatic. In some cases, the parasite may antecedent inflammation of the lymphatic system, resulting in flulike symptoms including fever and muscle aches. These symptoms can last for a month. In fewer cases, the infection results in more relentless disease. T. gondii can infect the eyes and brain, often resulting in blindness and frightful neurological disease. Neurological damage (encephalitis) occurs in children who contract the infection congenitally and in immunocompromised individuals. In immunocompromised individuals, encephalitis caused by toxoplasmosis progresses gradually. Patients may begin to experience headaches and dizzines s, then memory loss, degradation of motor skills, and sometimes asphyxia and death. Congenital infections may result in spontaneous abortion or birth defects including ocular damage and severe mental retardation. Epidemiological selective information Toxoplasma gondii is common throughout the world. A CDC study from 2003 showed that in the United States in 1999-2000, 16% of the population aged 12 to 49 years carried immunoglobulin G antibodies against the parasite. The prevalence is higher in foreign-born U.S. residents.One in one universal gravitational constant infants born in the U.S. expresses antibodies against T.