Immediate Interferon Gamma Induction Determines Murine Host Compatibility Differences between Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum.

Rodents are critical for the transmission of to the definitive feline host via predation, and this relationship has been extensively studied as a model for immune responses to parasites. is a closely related coccidian parasite of ruminants and canines but is not naturally transmitted by rodents. We compared mouse innate immune responses to and and found marked differences in cytokine levels and parasite growth kinetics during the first 24 h postinfection (hpi).

A Toxoplasma gondii locus required for the direct manipulation of host mitochondria has maintained multiple ancestral functions.

The Toxoplasma gondii locus mitochondrial association factor 1 (MAF1) encodes multiple paralogs, some of which mediate host mitochondrial association (HMA). Previous work showed that HMA was a trait that arose in T. gondii through neofunctionalization of an ancestral MAF1 ortholog.

Host age and Plasmodium falciparum multiclonality are associated with gametocyte prevalence: a 1-year prospective cohort study.

Background: Since Plasmodium falciparum transmission relies exclusively on sexual-stage parasites, several malaria control strategies aim to disrupt this step of the life cycle. Thus, a better understanding of which individuals constitute the primary gametocyte reservoir within an endemic population, and the temporal dynamics of gametocyte carriage, especially in seasonal transmission settings, will not only support the effective implementation of current transmission control programmes, but also inform the design of more targeted strategies.

Methods: A 1-year prospective cohort study was initiated in June 2013 with the goal of assessing the longitudinal dynamics of P.

High Plasmodium falciparum longitudinal prevalence is associated with high multiclonality and reduced clinical malaria risk in a seasonal transmission area of Mali.

The effects of persistent Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) infection and multiclonality on subsequent risk of clinical malaria have been reported, but the relationship between these 2 parameters and their relative impacts on the clinical outcome of infection are not understood. A longitudinal cohort study was conducted in a seasonal and high-transmission area of Mali, in which 500 subjects aged 1-65 years were followed for 1 year. Blood samples were collected every 2 weeks, and incident malaria cases were diagnosed and treated.

Host Mitochondrial Association Evolved in the Human Parasite Toxoplasma gondii via Neofunctionalization of a Gene Duplicate.

In Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular parasite of humans and other animals, host mitochondrial association (HMA) is driven by a gene family that encodes multiple mitochondrial association factor 1 (MAF1) proteins. However, the importance of MAF1 gene duplication in the evolution of HMA is not understood, nor is the impact of HMA on parasite biology. Here we used within- and between-species comparative analysis to determine that the MAF1 locus is duplicated in T.

Toxoplasma effector MAF1 mediates recruitment of host mitochondria and impacts the host response.

Recent information has revealed the functional diversity and importance of mitochondria in many cellular processes including orchestrating the innate immune response. Intriguingly, several infectious agents, such as Toxoplasma, Legionella, and Chlamydia, have been reported to grow within vacuoles surrounded by host mitochondria. Although many hypotheses have been proposed for the existence of host mitochondrial association (HMA), the causes and biological consequences of HMA have remained unanswered.

Differential locus expansion distinguishes Toxoplasmatinae species and closely related strains of Toxoplasma gondii.

Unlabelled: Toxoplasma gondii is a human obligate intracellular parasite that has infected over 20% of the world population and has a vast intermediate host range compared to those of its nearest relatives Neospora caninum and Hammondia hammondi. While these 3 species have highly syntenic genomes (80 to 99%), in this study we examined and compared species-specific structural variations, specifically at loci that have undergone local (i.e.

Hammondia hammondi, an avirulent relative of Toxoplasma gondii, has functional orthologs of known T. gondii virulence genes.

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite capable of infecting all warm-blooded animals, including humans. Its closest extant relative, Hammondia hammondi, has never been found to infect humans and, in contrast to T. gondii, is highly attenuated in mice.