Help with Bio question please?

Question

Use a specific example to demonstrate how knowledge of a pathogenic (i.e. disease-causing) Protist's life cycle can be used to control its spread.

Answer 1

Toxoplasma gondii can infect every warm-blooded animal (birds and mammals). The definitive host is the cat. Sexual reproduction occurs in the guts of the cat, resulting in a zygote, the oocyst, which is highly resistant to environmental factors. By knowing its life cycle, we can avoid contaminating our water and food by oocysts.  We also learn to avoid infection by fully cooking meat.