Presence of Toxoplasma gondii tissue cysts in human semen: Toxoplasmosis as a potential sexually transmissible infection
2023
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a widely prevalent protozoan parasite in human populations. This parasite is thought to be primarily transmitted through undercooked meat and contamination by cat feces.
Here, we seek to determine if Toxoplasma gondii cysts can be found within human semen.We visualized Toxoplasma gondii cysts in ejaculates of immune-competent and latently infected human volunteers. We confirmed the encystment by probing transcription of a bradyzoite-specific gene in these structures.
These observations extend previous observations of the parasite in semen of several non-human host species, including rats, dogs, and sheep.