Lytic cycle of Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular pathogen within the phylum A picomplexa. This protozoan parasite is one of the most widespread, with a b road host range including many birds and mammals and a geographic range tha t is nearly worldwide. While infection of healthy adults is usually relativ ely mild, serious disease can result in utero or when the host is immunocom promised. This sophisticated eukaryote has many specialized features that m ake it well suited to its intracellular lifestyle. In this review, we descr ibe the current knowledge of how the asexual tachyzoite stage of Toxoplasma attaches to, invades, replicates in, and exits the host cell. Since this p rocess is closely analogous to the way in which viruses reproduce, we refer to it as the Toxoplasma "lytic cycle."