How do apicomplexan parasites steal amino acids from their hosts?

Apicomplexans are important parasites of livestock, poultry, and other animals, and impose large economic costs on human societies, including in Australia. Eimeria tenella is a major pathogen of poultry, causing billions of dollars of losses in the poultry industry annually. Tick-borne pathogens such as Babesia and Theileria species are a major threat to the cattle industry in tropical areas, including in northern Australia. Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii (one of the study species of this project) cause >25% of abortions in cattle and sheep. Plasmodium parasites (the other study species) cause malaria, imposing large burdens on human health and the economies of many of Australias nearest neighbours. Treatment options against these parasites are limited. Nutrient scavenging is central to the parasitic way of life, and this project aims to address critical gaps in knowledge about how apicomplexans scavenge amino acids, an essential class of nutrients, from