How do intracellular parasites adapt to changes in nutrient availability?

This project will study parasites that impart considerable burdens on human societies. Toxoplasma parasites are responsible for 17% of abortions in sheep in Australia, causing an economic loss of A$10 million annually. Over 40% of lamb mince sold in Australia is infected with Toxoplasma and is therefore infectious to humans. Plasmodium parasites cause malaria, a major cause of human morbidity and mortality, including in some of Australias nearest neighbours. Related parasites such as Babesia, Theileria and Eimeria impart billions of dollars of annual losses on the livestock and poultry industries worldwide. This project will examine how these parasites adapt their metabolism to enable them to survive in different organs of their hosts. Additionally, this project will examine novel biological functions in parasite proteins that are the target of, or which have been implicated in drug res