Toxoplasmosis News and Research

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Toxoplasmosis is considered to be the third leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States. More than 60 million men, women, and children in the U.S. carry the Toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness. However, women newly infected with Toxoplasma during pregnancy and anyone with a compromised immune system should be aware that toxoplasmosis can have severe consequences for them.

Experts urge neglected tropical disease status for ocular toxoplasmosis

One third of the world's population is infected with the Toxoplasma parasite, which can cause ocular toxoplasmosis, an eye infection that can damage the retina and result in permanent vision loss.

25 Jun 2026

Research highlights ongoing TORCH infection risks despite rising vaccination rates

The TORCH complex is a group of pathogens that can cause infections with mild or silent symptoms in an expecting mother, but in a developing fetus can lead to serious complications that include stillbirth, lifelong disability, or birth defects.

8 Jun 2026

New research reveals how parasites break out of host cells

Parasites are a major global health problem, underlying many human diseases worldwide. For example, Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for malaria, plays a well-established; however, its complex life cycle is not yet fully understood.

15 Apr 2026

Advances in nanomedicine improve anthelmintic drug delivery and effectiveness

Announcing a new article publication in BIO Integration. According to World Health Organization (WHO) reports, parasitic infections substantially affect the world's population and are responsible for more than 16 million annual deaths in developing countries.

2 Apr 2026

Fluorescent imaging enables real-time observation of Toxoplasma gondii's growth

It infects nearly one-third of the global population, yet its microscopic size makes the Toxoplasma gondii parasite difficult for scientists to study.

23 Mar 2026

Scientists offer new insight into how common parasite T. gondii causes disease

A University of California, Riverside team of scientists has found that Toxoplasma gondii, a common parasite affecting up to one-third of the global population, is far more complex than previously believed.

27 Jan 2026

New insight into how our bodies keep brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii in check

The parasite that may already live in your brain can infect the very immune cells trying to destroy it, but new UVA Health research reveals how our bodies keep it under control.

7 Jan 2026

Review maps Toxoplasma hotspots: Half in Eastern Europe infected by age 44

Researchers systematically reviewed and modeled Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence across 25 European countries. The study found striking regional differences, with highest infection levels in eastern and western Europe and lowest in the UK and northern regions.

1 Sep 2025

Mitochondria fight infection by starving parasites of essential nutrients

You've heard that mitochondria are the "powerhouse of the cell." Now get ready for "mitochondria are the infantry of the cell!"

26 Aug 2025

Targeting RAP proteins for next-generation malaria treatments

A University of California, Riverside-led team has made an advance in the basic understanding of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the deadliest form of human malaria, that could make novel, highly targeted anti-malarial therapies possible.

1 Jul 2025

Research reveals how a microscopic parasite disrupts brain function

A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside, explains in a paper published in PLOS Pathogens how a microscopic parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, can significantly disrupt brain function, even when it infects only a small number of neurons.

19 Jun 2025

New insights into how the immune system handles latent parasite infections

Most humans have long-lived infections in various tissues-including in the nervous system-that typically do not result in disease.

28 Mar 2025

Map highlights diagnosis gaps for deadly CNS infections in HIV patients in Africa

A map of deadly infectious diseases known to attack the central nervous system (CNS) of people who are already suffering with HIV has unearthed diagnosis "blank spots" in Africa, according to research published today in The Lancet Global Health .

29 Jan 2025

An Arm and a Leg: The ‘Shkreli Awards’ — for dysfunction and profiteering in health care

Every year, a health care think tank called the Lown Institute ranks the 10 worst examples of "profiteering and dysfunction" in health care and "honors" the winners.

27 Jan 2025

Study unveils how Toxoplasma gondii parasites escape drug treatment

A study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers sheds new light on how Toxoplasma gondii parasites make the proteins they need to enter a dormant stage that allows them to escape drug treatment.

10 Dec 2024

Researchers uncover mechanism of protein GBP1 in immune defense

The protein GBP1 is a vital component of our body's natural defence against pathogens. This substance fights against bacteria and parasites by enveloping them in a protein coat, but how the substance manages to do this has remained unknown until now.

12 Oct 2024

Study challenges toxoplasma stigma in kidney transplants

A new study from UC Davis Health could help to increase the supply of donor kidneys.

9 Aug 2024

Optical metabolic imaging reveals how Toxoplasma infection changes host cell metabolism

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis, a lifelong chronic infection prevalent in about 30% of the human population.

12 Jul 2024

RNA virus hiding in common human parasite may exacerbate toxoplasmosis

An international team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has found a new RNA virus that they believe is hitching a ride with a common human parasite.

31 May 2024

New point-of-care test revolutionizes toxoplasmosis screening

An inexpensive, accurate test that detects infections with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii can provide results within 30 minutes from a finger-prick in a doctor's office or within an hour from a small blood sample tested in a local medical laboratory.

28 May 2024