Toxoplasma gondii
1
9.2
- noun
- /ˌtɒksəˈplæzmə ˈɡɒndiˌaɪ/
- Specialized
- We investigated 32 families of persons with acute toxoplasmosis in which one other family member was tested for Toxoplasma gondii infection; 18 (56%) families had one additional family member with acute infection.
- Toxoplasma gondii infection
Examples
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The infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii is often diagnosed through blood tests that reveal antibodies in the patient's system.
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Only isolated case reports and small case series have been published on acute Toxoplasma gondii infections among family members (1-6).
Academic text (2013) -
The microscopic parasite Toxoplasma gondii can infect both humans and animals, leading to a disease called toxoplasmosis.
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Pregnant women should be cautious of Toxoplasma gondii, as it can affect their unborn child if contracted during pregnancy.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Toxoplasma + gondii
This is a scientific Latin binomial (genus + species) rather than a compositional English phrase; the second element 'gondii' has no independent lexical meaning for learners. Even if a learner recognized 'Toxoplasma' as a parasite genus, they would not be able to infer the specific disease-causing sense or details from the species epithet alone, so the term is effectively technical and not transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Toxoplasma gondii may come from Greek and an animal name: toxo means 'bow' and plasma means 'shape', so the tiny parasite has a small curved shape like a 'bow'. The second word, gondii, comes from a small animal called a 'gundi' where it was first found, so the name helps you remember it is a tiny, bow-shaped parasite that can live in animals and people.