Global miRNA expression profiling of domestic cat livers following acute Toxoplasma gondii infection

Cong, Wei; Zhang, Xiao-Xuan; He, Jun-Jun; Li, Fa-Cai; Elsheikha, Hany M.; Zhu, Xing-Quan

Toxoplasma gondii is a highly prevalent apicomplexan protozoan parasite, which can cause serious clinical illnesses in humans and animals [1] . It has been reported to chronically infect roughly one-third of the world's human population [2] . T. gondii acquired during pregnancy may cause damage to the fetus and reactivation of latent infection can cause life-threatening encephalitis in immune-compromised individuals [3] . This parasite has an indirect two-host lifecycle, which is composed of asexual reproductive phase in the intermediate host and sexual reproductive phase in the definitive host (members of the Felidae family). The enteroepithelial sexual cycle of T. gondii is completed within 3 to 10 days after ingestion of intermediate host tissue containing T. gondii cysts. T. gondii can also spread throughout the cat's body and affect many organs Research Paper [4] [5] [6] [7] . Hence, cats are unique in respect of their ability to accommodate both sexual and asexual reproductions of T. gondii, making cats a significant source of infection to humans and animals [2, 8] .