Novel Drug Targets for the Bradyzoite Form of Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is a world-wide parasite, with an estimated prevalence of approximately 30%. Toxoplasmosis is a severe disease in the immunocompromised, but few symptoms are exhibited by patients with an intact immune system, making this parasite a worldwide burden. Currently, few drugs exist in treating acute toxoplasmosis and no drugs exist to eliminate the bradyzoite of T. gondii. Effective therapies against acute and chronic toxoplasmosis are urgently needed to reduce the burden of this disease. This review aims to give a summary of recent findings in the bradyzoite form of Toxoplasma gondii and the implication of these findings on drug development. A thorough search of PubMed and Google Scholar databases was used to identify studies within the past 10 years that illustrate targetable key elements in the differentiation and formation of the bradyzoite form of T. gondii.