Advances in Toxoplasma gondii Treatment, Immunology and Host–Parasite Interaction

Dear Colleagues,

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite. It infects nearly a third of the global population, and has the capacity to invade any nucleated cell in warm-blooded animals. Its parasitic success lies in its capacity to induce chronic infections while both avoiding immune detection and altering host immune responses and drug resistance. Toxoplasma infection can be acquired if a host becomes immunocompromised, such as during pregnancy, HIV/AIDS infection, or cancer. Infection with toxoplasmosis can be fatal during pregnancy if not treated on time; during the first trimester, it can cause serious complications like miscarriage or stillbirth, and during late pregnancy, the parasite can be transmitted to the developing fetus and cause severe complications like blindness, seizures, and hearing loss in the newborn.

Current treatments are limited and mostly ineffective against tissue cysts, and there is limited information on host immune modulation by T. gondii effectors. A T. gondii cyst remains dormant inside the host unless it is activated by a lack of functional immune response or an immunocompromised condition like pregnancy. Exosome-based studies have recently emerged regarding the pathogenicity and treatment of toxoplasmosis.

This Special Issue aims to uncover the latest drug targets identified for treating T. gondii, which can include exosome-based drugs, or nanoparticle-based or plant-extract-based therapies, with known mechanisms of targeting chronic infections or alleviating immunocompromised conditions. This article will also present the latest research on host–parasite interactions; the role of virulent invasive proteins in helping T. gondii cross the placental barrier during congenital infection; the role of effector molecules in the immune response; and newly identified proteins secreted by the parasite, which may play a significant role in its biology or pathogenesis.

Dr. Namrata Anand
Guest Editor

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