Health & Fitness
Featured in Newslaundry on July 25th 2017 While Toxoplasma causes long-lasting infections that resist treatment, research on this neglected parasite promises to unveil new ways to treat malaria. But there is more to this microbe than meets the eye. Listen to our podcast to find out. References: 1. General introduction 2. TORCH member 3. CDC assigned category NPI 4. Early research and establishment as parasite: Ferguson, David JP. “Toxoplasma gondii: 1908-2008, homage to Nicolle, Manceaux and Splendore.” Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 104.2 (2009): 133-148. 5. Use of the Sabin-Feldman test to find Toxoplasma infections worldwide 6. The life cycle of Toxoplasma 7. Toxoplasmosis as zoonosis 8. Studies in India to measure Toxoplasma infection 9. Concerns about sexual transmission of Toxoplasma (here and here) 10. Malaria in India (Searo, NCBI, NCBI, WHO) 11. Resistance of malaria to standard medication 12. Whitehead Institute’s use of CRISPR on Toxoplasma 13. Apicomplexans 14. Crippling host invasion protein CLAMP (here and here) 15. Aid to research on inflammation 16. No obvious symptoms of Toxoplasma infection in otherwise healthy people 17. Eye infections by Toxoplasma 18. Toxoplasma and neurological disorders (here and here) 19. Immunosuppression by HIV or by medical treatments, leading to reactivation of Toxoplasma (here and here ) 20. Toxoplasmosis in organ transplant recipients 21. Organ transplantation related diseases (here and here) 22. Anti-parasitic drugs to destroy active parasites 23. Infection in women passing to foetus 24. Spiramycin therapy 25. CDC recommendations (here and here) 26. Autophagy (here and here) 27. Interfering with autophagy damages and destroys parasites (here and here)