Uploaded September 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Art of Science 2019
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
https://www.wehi.edu.au/artofscience
Toxoplasma is a common parasite found around the world. The parasites enter our bodies through contaminated water and food, causing a disease called toxoplasmosis.
The disease can be serious if passed from a pregnant woman to her unborn child, and for people with weakened immune systems. It can cause blindness, birth defects and even death.
Simona has captured a Toxoplasma-infected human cell moments before it bursts. The multiple golden orbs are sacs filled with hundreds of parasites that will eventually burst free – gliding, spinning and rotating before rapidly infecting the next host cell they find. The blue ovals are nearby cells vulnerable to infection and awaiting their fate.
Simona is studying how Toxoplasma parasites establish lifelong infections in their human hosts. She is hoping this research will help to develop much-needed treatments for chronic Toxoplasma infections, which have been linked to mental health conditions.
Art of Science 2019
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
https://www.wehi.edu.au/artofscience
Toxoplasma is a common parasite found around the world. The parasites enter our bodies through contaminated water and food, causing a disease called toxoplasmosis.
The disease can be serious if passed from a pregnant woman to her unborn child, and for people with weakened immune systems. It can cause blindness, birth defects and even death.
Simona has captured a Toxoplasma-infected human cell moments before it bursts. The multiple golden orbs are sacs filled with hundreds of parasites that will eventually burst free – gliding, spinning and rotating before rapidly infecting the next host cell they find. The blue ovals are nearby cells vulnerable to infection and awaiting their fate.
Simona is studying how Toxoplasma parasites establish lifelong infections in their human hosts. She is hoping this research will help to develop much-needed treatments for chronic Toxoplasma infections, which have been linked to mental health conditions.
