Introduction
A parasite’s location is a fundamental factor which determines the behavioral changes in hosts such as rodents, which are infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Brain is the common part of the body attacked by the parasite. Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled protozoan parasite which causes toxoplasmosis and is associated with schizophrenia. The pathogen is present in all parts of the world but more prevalent in developed nations.
Summary of the Approved Article
Warm-blooded animals are vulnerable to Toxoplasma gondii, which is a parasite causing toxoplasmosis. The article by McConkey et al. (2013) analyses the parasitic location of Toxoplasma gondii. The authors evaluate the way dopamine influences the behavior of the host. The article addresses such components as infected animals’ and humans’ behavioral interactions and neurological disorders. Additionally, it covers the immune response to Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite localization in the central nervous system, and their cellular location in the brain.
Pathogen Information
Classification of Microorganism
Toxoplasma gondii is among different pathogens which cause various illnesses. According to MCconkey et al. (2013) it is a single-celled protozoan parasite. It forms tissue cysts of warm-blooded animals’ brains, including most rodents and humans, which alter their behavior. Toxoplasma gondii is found worldwide but is more common in developed countries among humans. It causes toxoplasmosis disease when its tissue cysts are ingested or an individual consumes the food or water contaminated with oocytes.
Cellular Characteristic
Toxoplasma gondii has a polarized cell structure, a crescent-shape which has a significant role in breaching the host’s membrane for entry. The apical site is pointed to the cell and houses the organelles which gain, attach, and infiltrate the host cell. Toxoplasma gondii ROP16 and ROP18 proteins are the main virulence factors for this parasite (McConkey et al., 2013). They play a significant role during the primary infection in humans. The information helps in understanding the parasite and its characteristics.
Susceptibility to Antibiotics
Toxoplasmosis, the disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii is treatable using antibiotics. The commonly used antibiotics to treat toxoplasmosis are pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine (Montazeri et al., 2018). The drugs successfully destroy the microorganism due to the effect they have on the parasite’s bradyzoite. Analogous amino acids in the Toxoplasma enzyme have been identified to cause drug resistance (Montazeri et al., 2018). Therefore, a combination of the two medication regimes can be more effective in inhibiting parasite’s infectiousness.
Growth Conditions
Toxoplasma gondii invades and replicates the host cells, where they acquire energy. The pathogen is chemotrophic since they have to ingest the lipids and carbohydrates synthesized by their host (Blume & Seeber, 2018). The host cell’s metabolic condition plays a vital role in determining the predilection of the parasite as it switches from the tachyzoite to the bradyzoite form (McConkey et al., 2013). The parasites live in the hosts’ cells and their lifecycle is lytic. The information about Toxoplasma gondii growth is related to what leaned about pathogens’ metabolism.
Evasion of the Immune System
Toxoplasma gondii can survive and infect almost all mammalian cells. It manipulates the host immunity by controlling the host gene transcription and dysregulating the signal pathways, resulting in cell adhesion modulation (McConkey et al., 2013). Parasite effector proteins govern these host-pathogen interactions. The cells attack and weakens the immune system, leading to the signs and symptoms of toxoplasmosis. The parasite’s action on the immune system relates to information learned in class in about pathogens’ actions on cells.
Disease Caused, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Interventions
Toxoplasma gondii is associated with various health conditions, including neurological disorders. The most common disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii is toxoplasmosis (McConkey et al., 2013). According to the Mayo Clinic Staff (2020), the illness’s signs and symptoms are fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. Toxoplasmosis is diagnosed through blood tests, which involves checking antibodies to the parasite. The standard therapeutic intervention for toxoplasmosis in involve use of different antibiotics such as pyrimethamine, and sulfadiazine.
References
Blume, M., & Seeber, F. (2018). Metabolic interactions between Toxoplasma gondii and its host. F1000research, 7, 1-10. Web.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020). Toxoplasmosis – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic. Mayoclinic.org. Web.
McConkey, G., Martin, H., Bristow, G., & Webster, J. (2013). Toxoplasma gondii infection and behavior – Location, location, location? Journal of Experimental Biology, 216(1), 113–119. Web.
Montazeri, M., Mehrzadi, S., Sharif, M., Sarvi, S., Tanzifi, A., Aghayan, S., & Daryani, A. (2018). Drug resistance in Toxoplasma gondii. Front Microbiolpogy, 9(2587), 1-15. Web.