# Novel vacuole biology in chronic Toxoplasma infection

> **NIH NIH R21** · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · 2020 · $205,000

## Abstract

Abstract
Oral ingestion of Toxoplasma gondii cysts establishes a chronic infection marked by the development of
cysts in the central nervous system. Reactivation of dormant Toxoplasma gondii cysts in the central nervous
system in AIDS patients causes Toxoplasmic encephalitis, a clinically difficult to treat and frequently lethal
encephalitis. The parasite factors that enable the chronic persistence and oral infectivity of cysts are still
poorly understood. We hypothesize that the ROP35 kinase and other members of the Toxoplasma gondii
WNG kinase family play important roles in maintaining persisting cysts and their oral infectivity. This study
will characterize the role of ROP35 in mediating successful chronic infection, and the role of WNG kinases,
and their protein complexes, that enable the persistence of viable and orally infectious Toxoplasma gondii
cysts.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9995698
- **Project number:** 1R21AI138501-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID J BZIK
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $205,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-02-04 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9995698

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9995698, Novel vacuole biology in chronic Toxoplasma infection (1R21AI138501-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9995698. Licensed CC0.

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