Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in South America: occurrence, immunity, and fate of infection
Abstract Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite with a worldwide distribution. Toxoplasma gondii infections are of great concern for public health, and their impact is usually most severe in pregnant women and their foetuses, and in immunocompromised individuals. Displaying considerable gene...
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BMC
2023-12-01
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Series: | Parasites & Vectors |
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-023-06080-w |
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author | Ramayana Morais de Medeiros Brito Gabriella de Lima Bessa Alexandre Lazoski Bastilho Filipe Dantas-Torres Valter Ferreira de Andrade-Neto Lilian Lacerda Bueno Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara Luisa M. D. Magalhães |
author_facet | Ramayana Morais de Medeiros Brito Gabriella de Lima Bessa Alexandre Lazoski Bastilho Filipe Dantas-Torres Valter Ferreira de Andrade-Neto Lilian Lacerda Bueno Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara Luisa M. D. Magalhães |
author_sort | Ramayana Morais de Medeiros Brito |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Abstract Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite with a worldwide distribution. Toxoplasma gondii infections are of great concern for public health, and their impact is usually most severe in pregnant women and their foetuses, and in immunocompromised individuals. Displaying considerable genetic diversity, T. gondii strains differ widely according to geographical location, with archetypal strains predominantly found in the Northern Hemisphere and non-archetypal (atypical) strains, with highly diverse genotypes, found mainly in South America. In this review, we present an overview of the identification and distribution of non-archetypal strains of T. gondii. Special attention is paid to the strains that have been isolated in Brazil, their interaction with the host immunological response, and their impact on disease outcomes. The genetic differences among the strains are pivotal to the distinct immunological responses that they elicit. These differences arise from polymorphisms of key proteins released by the parasite, which represent important virulence factors. Infection with divergent non-archetypal strains can lead to unusual manifestations of the disease, even in immunocompetent individuals. Graphical Abstract |
first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:49:10Z |
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id | doaj.art-368d3360b9ee46f0a334b5f70dc9e6d2 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1756-3305 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:49:10Z |
publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
publisher | BMC |
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series | Parasites & Vectors |
spelling | doaj.art-368d3360b9ee46f0a334b5f70dc9e6d22023-12-24T12:10:56ZengBMCParasites & Vectors1756-33052023-12-0116111410.1186/s13071-023-06080-wGenetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in South America: occurrence, immunity, and fate of infectionRamayana Morais de Medeiros Brito0Gabriella de Lima Bessa1Alexandre Lazoski Bastilho2Filipe Dantas-Torres3Valter Ferreira de Andrade-Neto4Lilian Lacerda Bueno5Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara6Luisa M. D. Magalhães7Laboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas GeraisCentro Universitário do Planalto Central Apparecido dos Santos, UNICEPLACLaboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Centre, Federal University of Rio Grande do NorteAggeu Magalhães Institute, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz)Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Centre, Federal University of Rio Grande do NorteLaboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas GeraisLaboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas GeraisLaboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas GeraisAbstract Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite with a worldwide distribution. Toxoplasma gondii infections are of great concern for public health, and their impact is usually most severe in pregnant women and their foetuses, and in immunocompromised individuals. Displaying considerable genetic diversity, T. gondii strains differ widely according to geographical location, with archetypal strains predominantly found in the Northern Hemisphere and non-archetypal (atypical) strains, with highly diverse genotypes, found mainly in South America. In this review, we present an overview of the identification and distribution of non-archetypal strains of T. gondii. Special attention is paid to the strains that have been isolated in Brazil, their interaction with the host immunological response, and their impact on disease outcomes. The genetic differences among the strains are pivotal to the distinct immunological responses that they elicit. These differences arise from polymorphisms of key proteins released by the parasite, which represent important virulence factors. Infection with divergent non-archetypal strains can lead to unusual manifestations of the disease, even in immunocompetent individuals. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-023-06080-wAtypical strainsToxoplasmosisImmunityVirulence factors |
spellingShingle | Ramayana Morais de Medeiros Brito Gabriella de Lima Bessa Alexandre Lazoski Bastilho Filipe Dantas-Torres Valter Ferreira de Andrade-Neto Lilian Lacerda Bueno Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara Luisa M. D. Magalhães Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in South America: occurrence, immunity, and fate of infection Parasites & Vectors Atypical strains Toxoplasmosis Immunity Virulence factors |
title | Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in South America: occurrence, immunity, and fate of infection |
title_full | Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in South America: occurrence, immunity, and fate of infection |
title_fullStr | Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in South America: occurrence, immunity, and fate of infection |
title_full_unstemmed | Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in South America: occurrence, immunity, and fate of infection |
title_short | Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in South America: occurrence, immunity, and fate of infection |
title_sort | genetic diversity of toxoplasma gondii in south america occurrence immunity and fate of infection |
topic | Atypical strains Toxoplasmosis Immunity Virulence factors |
url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-023-06080-w |
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