Toxoplasma gondii is a parasitic protozoan with considerable medical and veterinary significance. Serving as the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, a disease that affects more than a third of the world's human population and inflicts substantial economic losses in livestock, this parasite can infect any nucleated cell in warm-blooded animals. It is transmitted through consuming contaminated water, food, or undercooked meat. The protozoan can traverse the placenta during pregnancy, giving rise to congenital toxoplasmosis, the most severe manifestation of the disease. Immunocompromised individuals are also susceptible to T. gondii, frequently leading to encephalitis, retinochoroiditis, and pneumonitis. 

While the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis has its limitations, such as yielding inconclusive results in determining a woman's condition during pregnancy, the therapy for toxoplasmosis has remained almost unchanged for the past 50 years. The drugs used in clinical practice solely target the replicative form of the parasite, showing no activity against tissue cysts, a latent stage of T. gondii present in the chronic phase of the disease. Hence, there is a pressing need to drive research forward in understanding the parasite's biology and its interaction with host cells, exploring disease transmission and progression, diagnosing the illness, and screening potential drug candidates for treating infections, among other crucial aspects. 

This Methods Collection endeavors to compile a comprehensive array of techniques, from in vitro to in vivo methodologies, to aid researchers in actively contributing to this global initiative in a transdisciplinary manner. The overarching objective is to advance our understanding of T. gondii and the widespread disease it causes.