Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii
Taxonomy
- Kingdom Protozoa
- Phylum Apicomplexa
- Class Conoidasida
- Order Eucoccidiorida
- Family Sarcocystidae
- Genus Toxoplasma
Final host
Cat and other felids
Morphology
Oocysts are round to slightly oval (≈ 13 x 11 µm). Sporulated oocysts contain two sporocysts each containing four sporozoites Tachyzoites are found developing in vacuoles in many cell types Tissue cyst (up to ≈ 100 µm), found mainly in the muscle, liver, lung and brain, may contain several thousand bradyzoites
Cycle
Direct - Indirect (optional heteroxenous) Intermediate hosts: any mammal (including humans) or birds
Location
Enteric cycle in enterocytes Extra-enteric cycle in brain, heart, liver, placenta and skeletal muscles
Feeding
Holozoic (micropores)
Diagnostic
Oocyst (faeces of cat) Tachyzoites and cyst with bradyzoites (tissues of intermediate hosts)
Transmission
Tissue cysts containing bradyzoites Sporulated oocyst Tachyzoites (transplacental transmission)
