title: Impact of environmental factors on the emergence, transmission and distribution of Toxoplasma gondii.
abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan that poses a great threat to human health and economic well-being worldwide. The effects of environmental factors such as changing climate and human activities on the ecology of this protozoan are being discovered. Accumulated evidence shows that changes of these environmental factors can exert influence on the occurrence, transmission and distribution of T. gondii. This article reviews studies from different geographical regions with varying climates, social cultures and animal welfare standards. It aims to illustrate how these environmental factors work, highlighting their importance in influencing the ecology of T. gondii, as well as providing clues which may contribute to preventing transmission of this important zoonotic pathogen.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China.|Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, PR China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, PR China.|Department of Clinical Medicine, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, PR China.
authors.forename: Li-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, PR China. ZKY02@163.com.
authors.forename: Kui-Yang
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. xingquanzhu1@hotmail.com.|Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, PR China. xingquanzhu1@hotmail.com.|Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, 225009, PR China. xingquanzhu1@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xing-Quan
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D006801:Humans; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000254:growth & development*; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000469:parasitology*
keywords: Changing climate; Ecology; Human activities; Oocysts; Toxoplasma gondii