{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T04:13:14Z","timestamp":1788754394727,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770076800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770076800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Microbiol Spectr"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title\/>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Toxoplasma gondii,<\/jats:italic>\n                      a ubiquitous intracellular protozoan parasite, poses life-threatening risks to immunocompromised hosts. Current first-line treatments for toxoplasmosis are limited by significant toxicity and high post-treatment recurrence rates. In this study, we employed phage display technology to identify peptides targeting TgMIC6 and disrupting its immune evasion function. Among these, the C8 peptide exhibited dual efficacy: it not only inhibited\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">T. gondii<\/jats:italic>\n                      invasion\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                      but also restored host autophagy, countering the parasite\u2019s immune escape mechanisms. Furthermore,\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                      studies confirmed the potent parasiticidal activity of C8 against multiple\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">T. gondii<\/jats:italic>\n                      strains. These findings highlight C8 as a promising therapeutic candidate for toxoplasmosis.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                    <jats:sec>\n                      <jats:title>IMPORTANCE<\/jats:title>\n                      <jats:p>\n                        The study identifies the C8 peptide as a novel anti-\n                        <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Toxoplasma<\/jats:italic>\n                        agent with dual efficacy: it directly inhibits parasite invasion and restores host autophagy compromised by\n                        <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">T. gondii<\/jats:italic>\n                        immune evasion. Demonstrating potent parasiticidal activity\n                        <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                        and\n                        <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                        , C8 significantly prolongs survival in acute infection models across multiple strains without cytotoxicity. Its multi-target mechanism and favorable safety profile address critical limitations of current therapies. While stability and chronic infection efficacy require optimization, C8 represents a promising peptide-based therapeutic candidate, offering a foundation for developing next-generation anti-toxoplasmosis drugs with enhanced specificity and reduced side effects. This work highlights the potential of peptide biologics in combating apicomplexan infections.\n                      <\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:sec>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.02218-25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,29]],"date-time":"2025-12-29T13:00:56Z","timestamp":1767013256000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["A novel anti-\n                    <i>Toxoplasma<\/i>\n                    peptide suppresses parasite invasion and rescues host autophagic defenses"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Ji","family":"Zhao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03xb04968","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University","place":["Hefei, 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