Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan
pathogen that was first described in 1908 by Nicolle and
Manceaux working in North Africa and by Splendore working
in Brazil. The species designation originated from the name of
the North African rodent (Ctenodactylus gondi) from which
this parasite was isolated. The genus name is derived from the
Greek work toxon, meaning “bow” and referring to the crescent
shape of the organism.
Toxoplasma belongs to the phylum Apicomplexa, which consists
of intracellular parasites that have a characteristically polarized cell structure and a complex cytoskeletal and organellar
arrangement at their apical end (42). Other members of this
phylum include the human pathogens Plasmodium (the cause
of malaria) and Cryptosporidium as well as the animal pathogens
Eimeria (the cause of chicken coccidiosis) and Sarcocystis.