DJ Slide presents a UC Davis led investigation into the deaths of four southern sea otters off the California coast. The discovery that these otters died of Toxoplasmosis raises questions about how T. gondii causes disease and how these otters acquired a traditionally terrestrial pathogen.

 

Sources for today's show:

Miller, M. A., Newberry, C. A., Sinnott, D. M., Batac, F. I., Greenwald, K., Reed, A., Young, C., et al. (2023). Newly detected, virulent Toxoplasma gondii COUG strain causing fatal steatitis and toxoplasmosis in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). Frontiers in Marine Science, 10.

Zhang, E., Kim, M., Rueda, L., Rochman, C., VanWormer, E., Moore, J., & Shapiro, K. (2022). Association of zoonotic protozoan parasites with microplastics in seawater and implications for human and wildlife health. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 6532.

Reese, M. L., Shah, N., & Boothroyd, J. C. (2014). The Toxoplasma pseudokinase ROP5 is an allosteric inhibitor of the immunity-related GTPases. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 289(40), 27849–27858.

Hunn, J. P., Feng, C. G., Sher, A., & Howard, J. C. (2011). The immunity-related GTPases in mammals: a fast-evolving cell-autonomous resistance system against intracellular pathogens. Mammalian Genome, 22(1–2), 43–54.

CDC - Toxoplasmosis. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/index.html

2023.05.09 Roots And Culture #3 - Sea Otters and Toxoplasma

"Exploring the green and the unseen!"
A science show where hosts DJ Press and DJ Slide discuss the latest science in botany and microbiology.

New tracks tagged #toxoplasma