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SUMMARY:Surprise\, surprise! The molecular evolutionary immunoecology of t
 he ubiquitous protozoal pathogen\, Toxoplasma gondii - Professor Jonathan 
 Howard\, University of Cologne\, Germany
DTSTART:20120314T123000Z
DTEND:20120314T133000Z
UID:TALK35131@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Sue Griffin
DESCRIPTION:Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous parasite of mammals and bird
 s. In general it is not a serious pathogen\, encysting in brain and muscle
  with minimal consequences for the host over a lifetime. However lack of v
 irulence and peaceful encystment relies on its ability to manipulate the i
 mmune system\; if the immune response is too weak the host dies acutely\, 
 if too strong\, the parasite dies acutely. To achieve the middle way in th
 ousands of different mammalian and avian species is quite a challenge. Rec
 ently some progress has been made in understanding this conundrum.\n\nIn m
 ice\, an essential contribution to resistance against T. gondii is provide
 d by a family of interferon-gamma-inducible GTPases\, the IRG proteins. Th
 ese\, and their interactions with virulence proteins of the parasite\, hav
 e produced a lot of surprises and provided some new insights into how the 
 parasite may approach the problems of being a generalist.\n
LOCATION:Lecture Theatre\, Department of Pathology\, Tennis Court Road
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