Toxoplasmosis: biology, immunology and diagnosis

Toxoplasmosis is one of the essential zoonotic parasitic diseases caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasmosis may be asymptomatic or cause subclinical manifestations in immunocompetent people, but it is life-threatening in immunodeficient patients and causes serious problems, especially in the central nervous system. Furthermore, congenital toxoplasma is harmful to the fetus and may lead to abortion. Due to the above, knowing the parasite biology, the interaction between the parasite and the host immune system, and diagnostic methods is crucial to preventing harmful damage and finding better treatment. In this article, the taxonomy and morphology of T. gondii are reviewed, and the immunological characteristics of T. gondii are summarized. Due to the importance of an appropriate diagnosis, we summed up some of the diagnostic methods