Clever Cattle Parasite Captures Cell Division Machinery

摘要

Parasites have developed clever and diverse ways of making sure they're carried from one generation to the next and spread through their hosts' bodies—not surprising since their lives depend on it. When some viruses want to ensure safe passage to the next generation, they incorporate their DNA right into the host's genome. Others link their genome to host chromosomes so it gets carried along whenever the host's cells divide. The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, on the other hand, rides along in its host's immune cells, allowing it to spread farther and faster through the body.