# Seeing the unseen: illuminating Toxoplasma gondii’s metabolic manipulation

## TL;DR

This study uses imaging to reveal how Toxoplasma gondii alters host cell metabolism during infection.

## Contribution

A quantitative imaging approach is introduced to analyze host metabolism during Toxoplasma infection at single-cell resolution.

## Key findings

- The study reveals significant host cell metabolic rewiring during Toxoplasma infection.
- The method enables separation of host and parasite metabolic processes.
- Findings offer insights into the mechanisms of parasite-induced pathophysiology.

## Abstract

Intracellular infection by a pathogen induces significant rewiring of host cell signaling and biological processes. Understanding how an intracellular pathogen such as Toxoplasma gondii modulates host cell metabolism with single-cell resolution has been challenged by the variability of infection within cultures and difficulties in separating host and parasite metabolic processes. A new study from Gallego-Lopez and colleagues (G. M. Gallego-López, E. C. Guzman, D. E. Desa, L. J. Knoll, M. C. Skala, mBio e00727-24, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00727-24) applies a quantitative imaging approach to evaluate the host cell metabolism during intracellular infection with Toxoplasma. This study provides important insights into host metabolic responses to Toxoplasma infection and offers a valuable tool to dissect the mechanisms underlying parasite infection and pathophysiology.