Lessons from Toxoplasma: Host responses that mediate parasite control and the microbial effectors that subvert them

The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii has long provided a tractable experimental system to investigate how the immune system deals with intracellular infections. This review highlights the advances in defining how this organism was first detected and the studies with T. gondii that contribute to our understanding of how the cytokine IFN-gamma promotes control of vacuolar pathogens. In addition, the genetic tractability of this eukaryote organism has provided the foundation for studies into the diverse strategies that pathogens use to evade antimicrobial responses and now provides the opportunity to study the basis for latency. Thus, T. gondii remains a clinically relevant organism whose evolving interactions with the host immune system continue to teach lessons broadly relevant to host-pathogen interactions.

Automated summary

Toxoplasma gondii is a valuable experimental system for studying how the immune system deals with intracellular infections, particularly in relation to the cytokine IFN-gamma and the strategies pathogens use to evade antimicrobial responses. Its genetic tractability allows for research on the basis of latency and continues to provide insights into host-pathogen interactions.