Genome-wide Toxoplasma screen reveals mechanisms of parasitic infections
"There's never been a really good way of looking at the function of all genes in any apicomplexan parasite," says Whitehead Fellow Sebastian Lourido. "We've introduced a method to assess the function of the entire genome. This technology can be used to study a variety of topics, from nutrient acquisition and responses to immune pressures to epistasis and genetic interactions. This is an important leap forward in what's possible to investigate in these parasites." The Centers for Diseas e Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 60 million people in the United States are infected with T. gondii . Transmission can occur by ingesting oocytes from infected cat feces or by eating undercooked meat containing Toxoplasma cysts. After infection, some healthy people experience a month or more of flu-like symptoms, but the disease can cause seizures and potentially fatal encephalitis in the immunocompromised, including patients receiving tran...