title: Toxoplasma gondii infection in humans in China.
abstract: Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection of humans and animals, caused by the opportunistic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa. Infection in pregnant women may lead to abortion, stillbirth or other serious consequences in newborns. Infection in immunocompromised patients can be fatal if not treated. On average, one third of people are chronically infected worldwide. Although very limited information from China has been published in the English journals, T. gondii infection is actually a significant human health problem in China. In the present article, we reviewed the clinical features, transmission, prevalence of T. gondii infection in humans in China, and summarized genetic characterizations of reported T. gondii isolates. Educating the public about the risks associated with unhealthy food and life style habits, tracking serological examinations to special populations, and measures to strengthen food and occupational safety are discussed.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P R China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zhaoguo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hai-Long
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Haihong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Shenyi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Rui-Qing
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xing-Quan
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan