Shaunna Simmons

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that infects a wide range of hosts, including humans, and is estimated to infect approximately one third of the world population. Following the acute phase of infection, T. gondii establishes chronic infection where tachyzoites differentiate into the slowly replicating bradyzoite form of the parasite and persist as intracellular cysts in both the brain and skeletal muscle. This is associated with chronic inflammation and a loss of motor function in infected mice.

Despite T. gondii tropism for skeletal muscle, the role of infection on skeletal muscle function remains a gap in knowledge. Host cell differentiation, size and metabolism can affect T. gondii cyst formation, and skeletal muscle are large, terminally differentiated and contain both glycolytic and oxidative myofiber types.

My research focuses on development of in vitro assays to better understand T. gondii interactions with skeletal muscle myofibers. 

• Elizabeth Wohlfert, PhD

• PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo, New York, United States