toxoplasma

[tok-suh-plaz-muh]

noun

plural

toxoplasmata, toxoplasmas 

1. any protist of the genus Toxoplasma, especially T. gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis.

Other Word Forms

• toxoplasmic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of toxoplasma¹

< New Latin Toxoplasma (1909); toxo-, plasma

Example Sentences

Toxoplasma gondii can also lurk in raw water and can cause miscarriage or birth defects if consumed during pregnancy.

Read more on Salon

When he was called out for it, Musk sent another tweet sneering, "Toxoplasma gondii is a danger to our democracy," a reference to the debunked myth that cat owners have a mentally destabilizing parasite.

Read more on Salon

Musk inferred that voters like Swift are suffering the effects of toxoplasma gondii, a single-celled parasite that is carried by cats.

Read more on Salon

The virus is associated with severe inflammation in humans infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, leading the team to hypothesize that it exacerbates toxoplasmosis disease.

Read more on Science Daily

Elias Ruiz-Morales, co-first author from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: "We discovered that placental immune cells called macrophages can protect the placenta against infections. This is the first time that placental immune cells have been shown to play a defensive role in early-stage pregnancy in humans, and that these immune cells can be hijacked by toxoplasma during infection. Understanding more about how the placental immune system works can help give new insights into pregnancy complications."

Read more on Science Daily