Generation of Toxoplasma gondii and Hammondia hammondi Oocysts and Purification of Their Sporozoites for Downstream Manipulation.

Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites and bradyzoites are studied extensively in the laboratory due to the ease with which they can be cultured. In contrast, oocysts and the sporozoites within them are more difficult to work with, in that cat infections are required for their generation and isolating sporozoites requires a laborious excystation procedure. More over some parasite species such as Hammondia hammondi are obligately heteroxenous and require passage through a cat for completion of the life cycle. There is no debate that there is great value in studying this important life cycle stage, and we present here a detailed description of the current protocols used in our laboratories to generate and isolate T. gondii and H. hammondi oocysts, and to excyst and purify the sporozoites within them for use in downstream experimental applications.