scholarly journals Evidence for carry-over effects of predator exposure on pathogen transmission potential

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1821) ◽  
pp. 20152430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Roux ◽  
Amélie Vantaux ◽  
Benjamin Roche ◽  
Koudraogo B. Yameogo ◽  
Kounbobr R. Dabiré ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Larval Development ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Anopheles Coluzzii ◽  
Adult Size ◽  
Transmission Potential ◽  
Carry Over

Accumulating evidence indicates that species interactions such as competition and predation can indirectly alter interactions with other community members, including parasites. For example, presence of predators can induce behavioural defences in the prey, resulting in a change in susceptibility to parasites. Such predator-induced phenotypic changes may be especially pervasive in prey with discrete larval and adult stages, for which exposure to predators during larval development can have strong carry-over effects on adult phenotypes. To the best of our knowledge, no study to date has examined possible carry-over effects of predator exposure on pathogen transmission. We addressed this question using a natural food web consisting of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum , the mosquito vector Anopheles coluzzii and a backswimmer, an aquatic predator of mosquito larvae. Although predator exposure did not significantly alter mosquito susceptibility to P. falciparum , it incurred strong fitness costs on other key mosquito life-history traits, including larval development, adult size, fecundity and longevity. Using an epidemiological model, we show that larval predator exposure should overall significantly decrease malaria transmission. These results highlight the importance of taking into account the effect of environmental stressors on disease ecology and epidemiology.

scholarly journals War and peace: social interactions in infections

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1642) ◽  
pp. 20130365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen C. Leggett ◽  
Sam P. Brown ◽  
Sarah E. Reece
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Social Evolution ◽  
Inclusive Fitness ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Emergent Properties ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
Inclusive Fitness Theory ◽  
Social Behaviours

One of the most striking facts about parasites and microbial pathogens that has emerged in the fields of social evolution and disease ecology in the past few decades is that these simple organisms have complex social lives, indulging in a variety of cooperative, communicative and coordinated behaviours. These organisms have provided elegant experimental tests of the importance of relatedness, kin discrimination, cooperation and competition, in driving the evolution of social strategies. Here, we briefly review the social behaviours of parasites and microbial pathogens, including their contributions to virulence, and outline how inclusive fitness theory has helped to explain their evolution. We then take a mechanistically inspired ‘bottom-up’ approach, discussing how key aspects of the ways in which parasites and pathogens exploit hosts, namely public goods, mobile elements, phenotypic plasticity, spatial structure and multi-species interactions, contribute to the emergent properties of virulence and transmission. We argue that unravelling the complexities of within-host ecology is interesting in its own right, and also needs to be better incorporated into theoretical evolution studies if social behaviours are to be understood and used to control the spread and severity of infectious diseases.

scholarly journals Carry-over effects of urban larval environments on the transmission potential of dengue-2 virus

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle V. Evans ◽  
Justine C. Shiau ◽  
Nicole Solano ◽  
Melinda A. Brindley ◽  
John M. Drake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transmission Potential ◽  
Carry Over

scholarly journals Synchronized shift of oral, faecal and urinary microbiotas in bats and natural infection dynamics during seasonal reproduction

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 180041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Dietrich ◽  
Teresa Kearney ◽  
Ernest C. J. Seamark ◽  
Janusz T. Paweska ◽  
Wanda Markotter
Keyword(s):  
Disease Ecology ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Natural Infection ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Seasonal Reproduction ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Infection Dynamics ◽  
Bacterial Microbiota

Seasonal reproduction is a period of extreme physiological and behavioural changes, yet we know little about how it may affect host microbial communities (i.e. microbiota) and pathogen transmission. Here, we investigated shifts of the bacterial microbiota in saliva, urine and faeces during the seasonal reproduction of bats in South Africa, and test for an interaction in shedding patterns of both bacterial ( Leptospira ) and viral (adeno- and herpesviruses) agents. Based on a comparative approach in two cave-dwelling bat species and high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, we demonstrated a clear signature in microbiota changes over the reproduction season, consistent across the multiple body habitats investigated, and associated with the sex, age and reproductive condition of bats. We observed in parallel highly dynamic shedding patterns for both bacteria and viruses, but did not find a significant association between viral shedding and bacterial microbiota composition. Indeed, only Leptospira shedding was associated with alterations in both the diversity and composition of the urinary microbiota. These results illustrate how seasonal reproduction in bats substantially affects microbiota composition and infection dynamics, and have broad implications for the understanding of disease ecology in important reservoir hosts, such as bats.

scholarly journals Incorporating genomic methods into contact networks to reveal new insights into animal behaviour and infectious disease dynamics

Behaviour ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 155 (7-9) ◽  
pp. 759-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie L.J. Gilbertson ◽  
Nicholas M. Fountain-Jones ◽  
Meggan E. Craft
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Contact Network ◽  
Contact Networks ◽  
Host Behaviour ◽  
Infectious Disease Dynamics ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Dynamic Interplay ◽  
Broad Overview

Abstract Utilization of contact networks has provided opportunities for assessing the dynamic interplay between pathogen transmission and host behaviour. Genomic techniques have, in their own right, provided new insight into complex questions in disease ecology, and the increasing accessibility of genomic approaches means more researchers may seek out these tools. The integration of network and genomic approaches provides opportunities to examine the interaction between behaviour and pathogen transmission in new ways and with greater resolution. While a number of studies have begun to incorporate both contact network and genomic approaches, a great deal of work has yet to be done to better integrate these techniques. In this review, we give a broad overview of how network and genomic approaches have each been used to address questions regarding the interaction of social behaviour and infectious disease, and then discuss current work and future horizons for the merging of these techniques.

scholarly journals Conservation of biodiversity as a strategy for improving human health and well-being

2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1722) ◽  
pp. 20160131 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Marm Kilpatrick ◽  
Daniel J. Salkeld ◽  
Georgia Titcomb ◽  
Micah B. Hahn
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Anthropogenic Processes ◽  
Conservation Interventions

The Earth's ecosystems have been altered by anthropogenic processes, including land use, harvesting populations, species introductions and climate change. These anthropogenic processes greatly alter plant and animal communities, thereby changing transmission of the zoonotic pathogens they carry. Biodiversity conservation may be a potential win–win strategy for maintaining ecosystem health and protecting public health, yet the causal evidence to support this strategy is limited. Evaluating conservation as a viable public health intervention requires answering four questions: (i) Is there a general and causal relationship between biodiversity and pathogen transmission, and if so, which direction is it in? (ii) Does increased pathogen diversity with increased host biodiversity result in an increase in total disease burden? (iii) Do the net benefits of biodiversity conservation to human well-being outweigh the benefits that biodiversity-degrading activities, such as agriculture and resource utilization, provide? (iv) Are biodiversity conservation interventions cost-effective when compared to other options employed in standard public health approaches? Here, we summarize current knowledge on biodiversity–zoonotic disease relationships and outline a research plan to address the gaps in our understanding for each of these four questions. Developing practical and self-sustaining biodiversity conservation interventions will require significant investment in disease ecology research to determine when and where they will be effective. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Conservation, biodiversity and infectious disease: scientific evidence and policy implications’.

scholarly journals Contact heterogeneity in deer mice: implications for Sin Nombre virus transmission

2009 ◽  
Vol 276 (1660) ◽  
pp. 1305-1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A Clay ◽  
Erin M Lehmer ◽  
Andrea Previtali ◽  
Stephen St. Jeor ◽  
M. Denise Dearing
Keyword(s):  
Great Basin ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Contact Dynamics ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Sin Nombre Virus ◽  
Transmission Potential ◽  
Contact Rates

Heterogeneities within disease hosts suggest that not all individuals have the same probability of transmitting disease or becoming infected. This heterogeneity is thought to be due to dissimilarity in susceptibility and exposure among hosts. As such, it has been proposed that many host–pathogen systems follow the general pattern whereby a small fraction of the population accounts for a large fraction of the pathogen transmission. This disparity in transmission dynamics is often referred to as ‘20/80 Rule’, i.e. approximately 20 per cent of the hosts are responsible for 80 per cent of pathogen transmission. We investigated the role of heterogeneity in contact rates among potential hosts of a directly transmitted pathogen by examining Sin Nombre virus (SNV) in deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus ). Using foraging arenas and powder marking, we documented contacts between wild deer mice in Great Basin Desert, central Utah. Our findings demonstrated heterogeneity among deer mice, both in frequency and in duration of contacts with other deer mice. Contact dynamics appear to follow the general pattern that a minority of the population accounts for a majority of the contacts. We found that 20 per cent of individuals in the population were responsible for roughly 80 per cent of the contacts observed. Larger-bodied individuals appear to be the functional group with the greatest SNV transmission potential. Contrary to our predictions, transmission potential was not influenced by breeding condition or sex.

scholarly journals PIMMS43 is required for malaria parasite immune evasion and sporogonic development in the mosquito vector

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (13) ◽  
pp. 7363-7373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiamaka V. Ukegbu ◽  
Maria Giorgalli ◽  
Sofia Tapanelli ◽  
Luisa D. P. Rona ◽  
Amie Jaye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Transmission ◽  
Immune Evasion ◽  
Malaria Parasite ◽  
Surface Protein ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Anopheles Coluzzii ◽  
Innate Immune Responses ◽  
New Host ◽  
Mosquito Midgut

After being ingested by a female Anopheles mosquito during a bloodmeal on an infected host, and before they can reach the mosquito salivary glands to be transmitted to a new host, Plasmodium parasites must establish an infection of the mosquito midgut in the form of oocysts. To achieve this, they must first survive a series of robust innate immune responses that take place prior to, during, and immediately after ookinete traversal of the midgut epithelium. Understanding how parasites may evade these responses could highlight new ways to block malaria transmission. We show that an ookinete and sporozoite surface protein designated as PIMMS43 (Plasmodium Infection of the Mosquito Midgut Screen 43) is required for parasite evasion of the Anopheles coluzzii complement-like response. Disruption of PIMMS43 in the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei triggers robust complement activation and ookinete elimination upon mosquito midgut traversal. Silencing components of the complement-like system through RNAi largely restores ookinete-to-oocyst transition but oocysts remain small in size and produce a very small number of sporozoites that additionally are not infectious, indicating that PIMMS43 is also essential for sporogonic development in the oocyst. Antibodies that bind PIMMS43 interfere with parasite immune evasion when ingested with the infectious blood meal and significantly reduce the prevalence and intensity of infection. PIMMS43 genetic structure across African Plasmodium falciparum populations indicates allelic adaptation to sympatric vector populations. These data add to our understanding of mosquito–parasite interactions and identify PIMMS43 as a target of malaria transmission blocking.

scholarly journals Carryover effects drive competitive dominance in spatially structured environments

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (25) ◽  
pp. 6939-6944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin G. Van Allen ◽  
Volker H. W. Rudolf
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Landscape Type ◽  
Habitat Differences ◽  
Natal Habitat ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
Species Performance ◽  
Natal Habitat Effects ◽  
The Impact

Understanding how changes to the quality of habitat patches affect the distribution of species across the whole landscape is critical in our human-dominated world and changing climate. Although patterns of species’ abundances across a landscape are clearly influenced by dispersal among habitats and local species interactions, little is known about how the identity and origin of dispersers affect these patterns. Because traits of individuals are altered by experiences in their natal habitat, differences in the natal habitat of dispersers can carry over when individuals disperse to new habitats and alter their fitness and interactions with other species. We manipulated the presence or absence of such carried-over natal habitat effects for up to eight generations to examine their influence on two interacting species across multiple dispersal rates and different habitat compositions. We found that experimentally accounting for the natal habitat of dispersers significantly influenced competitive outcomes at all spatial scales and increased total community biomass within a landscape. However, the direction and magnitude of the impact of natal habitat effects was dependent upon landscape type and dispersal rate. Interestingly, effects of natal habitats increased the difference between species performance across the landscape, suggesting that natal habitat effects could alter competitive interactions to promote spatial coexistence. Given that heterogeneity in habitat quality is ubiquitous in nature, natal habitat effects are likely important drivers of spatial community structure and could promote variation in species performance, which may help facilitate spatial coexistence. The results have important implications for conservation and invasive species management.

scholarly journals Linking community and disease ecology: the impact of biodiversity on pathogen transmission

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1604) ◽  
pp. 2807-2813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Roche ◽  
Andrew P. Dobson ◽  
Jean-François Guégan ◽  
Pejman Rohani
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Disease Emergence ◽  
Pathogen Dynamics ◽  
Wildlife Pathogens ◽  
The Impact

The increasing number of zoonotic diseases spilling over from a range of wild animal species represents a particular concern for public health, especially in light of the current dramatic trend of biodiversity loss. To understand the ecology of these multi-host pathogens and their response to environmental degradation and species extinctions, it is necessary to develop a theoretical framework that takes into account realistic community assemblages. Here, we present a multi-host species epidemiological model that includes empirically determined patterns of diversity and composition derived from community ecology studies. We use this framework to study the interaction between wildlife diversity and directly transmitted pathogen dynamics. First, we demonstrate that variability in community composition does not affect significantly the intensity of pathogen transmission. We also show that the consequences of community diversity can differentially impact the prevalence of pathogens and the number of infectious individuals. Finally, we show that ecological interactions among host species have a weaker influence on pathogen circulation than inter-species transmission rates. We conclude that integration of a community perspective to study wildlife pathogens is crucial, especially in the context of understanding and predicting infectious disease emergence events.

scholarly journals Dissecting genetic and sex-specific sources of host heterogeneity in pathogen shedding and spread

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e1009196
Author(s):  
Jonathon A. Siva-Jothy ◽  
Pedro F. Vale
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Virus Shedding ◽  
Transmission Potential ◽  
Sources Of Variation ◽  
Host Heterogeneity

Host heterogeneity in disease transmission is widespread but precisely how different host traits drive this heterogeneity remains poorly understood. Part of the difficulty in linking individual variation to population-scale outcomes is that individual hosts can differ on multiple behavioral, physiological and immunological axes, which will together impact their transmission potential. Moreover, we lack well-characterized, empirical systems that enable the quantification of individual variation in key host traits, while also characterizing genetic or sex-based sources of such variation. Here we used Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila C Virus as a host-pathogen model system to dissect the genetic and sex-specific sources of variation in multiple host traits that are central to pathogen transmission. Our findings show complex interactions between genetic background, sex, and female mating status accounting for a substantial proportion of variance in lifespan following infection, viral load, virus shedding, and viral load at death. Two notable findings include the interaction between genetic background and sex accounting for nearly 20% of the variance in viral load, and genetic background alone accounting for ~10% of the variance in viral shedding and in lifespan following infection. To understand how variation in these traits could generate heterogeneity in individual pathogen transmission potential, we combined measures of lifespan following infection, virus shedding, and previously published data on fly social aggregation. We found that the interaction between genetic background and sex explained ~12% of the variance in individual transmission potential. Our results highlight the importance of characterising the sources of variation in multiple host traits to understand the drivers of heterogeneity in disease transmission.

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