26 sep 2025 - 12:24 CET

Foodborne zoonoses: Toxoplasma gondii infection as a paradigm of the “One Health" concept

(Zoonosis de trasmisión alimentaria: la infección por Toxoplama gondii como paradigma del concepto “una salud”).

Luis Miguel Ortega-Mora

Shared diseases constitute an important part of the knowledge encompassed by veterinary sciences. Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most important zoonotic parasites, present in all habitats from polar regions to the tropics and in terrestrial and aquatic environments, affecting all homeothermic species, including humans. It is estimated that up to one third of the human population is infected by this parasite. Infection by T. gondii has a complex epidemiology and given its prevalence and impact on animal and public health, its versatility in transmission modes and its presence in different compartments and ecosystems, it is a paradigm of the “One Health” concept.

This work reviews some key historical aspects in the knowledge of the parasite and the disease together with the importance and impact of this zoonosis in the different compartments of “One Health”. In the final part, some of the research being carried out is indicated on: i) the genetic and phenotypic characterization of the predominant populations of T. gondii in Europe and Spain and its implications for virulence; ii) the host-pathogen interactions during congenital toxoplasmosis; and iii) the usefulness of translational models of the disease and their application to study the safety and efficacy of drugs and vaccines.

Full text is available here (in Spanish)