scholarly journals Hot and sour: parasite adaptations to honeybee body temperature and pH

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1964) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan C. Palmer-Young ◽  
Thomas R. Raffel ◽  
Jay D. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Heat Tolerance ◽  
Parasite Infection ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Ph Tolerance ◽  
Alkaline Conditions ◽  
Infection Resistance ◽  
Trypanosomatid Parasites ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Gut Ph ◽  
Colony Level

Host temperature and gut chemistry can shape resistance to parasite infection. Heat and acidity can limit trypanosomatid infection in warm-blooded hosts and could shape infection resistance in insects as well. The colony-level endothermy and acidic guts of social bees provide unique opportunities to study how temperature and acidity shape insect–parasite associations. We compared temperature and pH tolerance between three trypanosomatid parasites from social bees and a related trypanosomatid from poikilothermic mosquitoes, which have alkaline guts. Relative to the mosquito parasites, all three bee parasites had higher heat tolerance that reflected body temperatures of hosts. Heat tolerance of the honeybee parasite Crithidia mellificae was exceptional for its genus, implicating honeybee endothermy as a plausible filter of parasite establishment. The lesser heat tolerance of the emerging Lotmaria passim suggests possible spillover from a less endothermic host. Whereas both honeybee parasites tolerated the acidic pH found in bee intestines, mosquito parasites tolerated the alkaline conditions found in mosquito midguts, suggesting that both gut pH and temperature could structure host–parasite specificity. Elucidating how host temperature and gut pH affect infection—and corresponding parasite adaptations to these factors—could help explain trypanosomatids' distribution among insects and invasion of mammals.

scholarly journals Hot and sour: parasite adaptations to honey bee body temperature and pH

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan C Palmer-Young ◽  
Thomas R Raffel ◽  
Jay D Evans
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Heat Tolerance ◽  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Ph Tolerance ◽  
Alkaline Conditions ◽  
Infection Resistance ◽  
Trypanosomatid Parasites ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Gut Ph

Host temperature and gut chemistry can shape resistance to parasite infection. Heat and acidity can limit trypanosomatid infection in warm-blooded hosts, and could shape infection resistance in insects as well. The colony-level endothermy and acidic guts of social bees provide unique opportunities to study how temperature and acidity shape insect-parasite associations. We compared temperature and pH tolerance between three trypanosomatid parasites from social bees and a related trypanosomatid from poikilothermic mosquitoes, which have alkaline guts. Relative to the mosquito parasites, all three bee parasites had higher heat tolerance that reflected levels of endothermy in hosts. Heat tolerance of the honey bee parasite Crithidia mellificae was exceptional for its genus, implicating honey bee endothermy as a filter of parasite establishment. The lesser heat tolerance of the emerging Lotmaria passim suggests possible spillover from a less endothermic host. Whereas both honey bee parasites tolerated the acidic pH's found in bee intestines, mosquito parasites tolerated the alkaline conditions found in mosquito midguts, suggesting that both gut pH and temperature could structure host-parasite specificity. Elucidating how host temperature and gut pH affect infection—and corresponding parasite adaptations to these factors—could help explain trypanosomatids' distribution among insects and invasion of mammals. Keywords : thermal performance curve, metabolic theory of ecology, infectious disease ecology, thermoregulation, Apis mellifera, Leishmania

scholarly journals Urogenital Schistosomiasis—History, Pathogenesis, and Bladder Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Lúcio Lara Santos ◽  
Júlio Santos ◽  
Maria João Gouveia ◽  
Carina Bernardo ◽  
Carlos Lopes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Schistosoma Haematobium ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Hiv Transmission ◽  
Parasite Infection ◽  
Urogenital Schistosomiasis ◽  
Host Parasite Interactions ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Recent Outbreak ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Female Genital

Schistosomiasis is the most important helminthiasis worldwide in terms of morbidity and mortality. Most of the infections occurs in Africa, which about two thirds are caused by Schistosoma haematobium. The infection with S. haematobium is considered carcinogenic leading to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder. Additionally, it is responsible for female genital schistosomiasis leading to infertility and higher risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. Remarkably, a recent outbreak in Corsica (France) drew attention to its potential re-mergence in Southern Europe. Thus far, little is known related to host-parasite interactions that trigger carcinogenesis. However, recent studies have opened new avenues to understand mechanisms on how the parasite infection can lead cancer and other associated pathologies. Here, we present a historical perspective of schistosomiasis, and review the infection-associated pathologies and studies on host–parasite interactions that unveil tentative mechanisms underlying schistosomiasis-associated carcinogenesis.

scholarly journals Variability in larval gut pH regulation defines sensitivity to ocean acidification in six species of the Ambulacraria superphylum

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1864) ◽  
pp. 20171066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian Hu ◽  
Yung-Che Tseng ◽  
Yi-Hsien Su ◽  
Etienne Lein ◽  
Hae-Gyeong Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ph Regulation ◽  
Gastric Ph ◽  
Differential Sensitivity ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Regulatory Systems ◽  
Alkaline Conditions ◽  
Gut Ph

The unusual rate and extent of environmental changes due to human activities may exceed the capacity of marine organisms to deal with this phenomenon. The identification of physiological systems that set the tolerance limits and their potential for phenotypic buffering in the most vulnerable ontogenetic stages become increasingly important to make large-scale projections. Here, we demonstrate that the differential sensitivity of non-calcifying Ambulacraria (echinoderms and hemichordates) larvae towards simulated ocean acidification is dictated by the physiology of their digestive systems. Gastric pH regulation upon experimental ocean acidification was compared in six species of the superphylum Ambulacraria. We observed a strong correlation between sensitivity to ocean acidification and the ability to regulate gut pH. Surprisingly, species with tightly regulated gastric pH were more sensitive to ocean acidification. This study provides evidence that strict maintenance of highly alkaline conditions in the larval gut of Ambulacraria early life stages may dictate their sensitivity to decreases in seawater pH. These findings highlight the importance of identifying and understanding pH regulatory systems in marine larval stages that may contribute to substantial energetic challenges under near-future ocean acidification scenarios.

scholarly journals Sterol-response pathways mediate alkaline survival in diverse fungi

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah E. Brown ◽  
Calla L. Telzrow ◽  
Joseph W. Saelens ◽  
Larissa Fernandes ◽  
J. Andrew Alspaugh
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Alkaline Ph ◽  
Ph Response ◽  
Ph Tolerance ◽  
Alkaline Conditions ◽  
Host Infection ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe ability for cells to maintain homeostasis in the presence of extracellular stress is essential for their survival. Stress adaptations are especially important for microbial pathogens to respond to rapidly changing conditions, such as those encountered during the transition from the environment to the infected host. Many fungal pathogens have acquired the ability to quickly adapt to changes in extracellular pH to promote their survival in the various micro-environments encountered during a host infection. For example, the fungal-specific Rim/Pal alkaline response pathway has been well characterized in many fungal pathogens, including Cryptococcus neoformans. However, alternative mechanisms for sensing and responding to host pH have yet to be extensively studied. Recent observations from a genetic screen suggest that the C. neoformans sterol homeostasis pathway is required for growth at elevated pH. This work explores interactions among mechanisms of membrane homeostasis, alkaline pH tolerance, and Rim pathway activation. We find that the sterol homeostasis pathway is necessary for growth in an alkaline environment, and that an elevated pH is sufficient to induce Sre1 activation. This pH-mediated activation of the Sre1 transcription factor is linked to the biosynthesis of ergosterol, but is not dependent on Rim pathway signaling, suggesting that these two pathways are responding to alkaline pH independently. Furthermore, we discover that C. neoformans is more susceptible to membrane-targeting antifungals in alkaline conditions highlighting the impact of micro-environmental pH on the treatment of invasive fungal infections. Together, these findings further connect membrane integrity and composition with the fungal pH response and pathogenesis.

Bidirectional interactions between host social behaviour and parasites arise through ecological and evolutionary processes

Parasitology ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Dana M. Hawley ◽  
Amanda K. Gibson ◽  
Andrea K. Townsend ◽  
Meggan E. Craft ◽  
Jessica F. Stephenson
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Parasite Infection ◽  
Evolutionary Processes ◽  
Ecological Patterns ◽  
Ecological Feedbacks ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Bidirectional Interactions ◽  
Social Behaviours

Abstract An animal's social behaviour both influences and changes in response to its parasites. Here we consider these bidirectional links between host social behaviours and parasite infection, both those that occur from ecological vs evolutionary processes. First, we review how social behaviours of individuals and groups influence ecological patterns of parasite transmission. We then discuss how parasite infection, in turn, can alter host social interactions by changing the behaviour of both infected and uninfected individuals. Together, these ecological feedbacks between social behaviour and parasite infection can result in important epidemiological consequences. Next, we consider the ways in which host social behaviours evolve in response to parasites, highlighting constraints that arise from the need for hosts to maintain benefits of sociality while minimizing fitness costs of parasites. Finally, we consider how host social behaviours shape the population genetic structure of parasites and the evolution of key parasite traits, such as virulence. Overall, these bidirectional relationships between host social behaviours and parasites are an important yet often underappreciated component of population-level disease dynamics and host–parasite coevolution.

scholarly journals Rapid change in parasite infection traits over the course of an epidemic in a wild host-parasite population

Oikos ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart K. J. R. Auld ◽  
Philip J. Wilson ◽  
Tom J. Little
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Change ◽  
Parasite Infection ◽  
Parasite Population ◽  
Wild Host ◽  
Host Parasite

Frequency Distribution and Host-Parasite Relationships of Zschokkella Leptatherinae (Myxozoa: Myxiidae), a Parasite of Atherinid Fishes

1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
XQ Su ◽  
RWG White
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Distribution ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Parasite Infection ◽  
Normal Model ◽  
Intensity Of Infection ◽  
Host Parasite Relationship ◽  
Parasite Relationship ◽  
Log Normal ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Relationship Of

The frequency distribution and aspects of host-parasite relationship of the myxosporean Zschokkella leptatherinae Su and White (1995) in the hepatic ducts and gall bladder of two atherinid fishes, Atherinosoma microstoma (Gunther) and Leptatherina presbyteroides (Richardson), were studied from January 1990 to June 1992. In both fish species, the distribution of Z. leptatherinae fitted the log-normal model. The prevalence and intensity of infection did not vary seasonally. The infection of the parasite occurred more frequently in larger hosts in both fish species but no relationship existed either between the intensity of parasite infection and the size of fish or between the prevalence of parasite infection and sex of fish.

scholarly journals Diversity of metazoan parasites in fish Triportheus angulatus and Triportheus auritus living in sympatry in the Brazilian Amazon

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
William Felix Borges ◽  
Marcos Sidney Brito Oliveira ◽  
Marcos Tavares-Dias
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Parasite Community ◽  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Parasite Infection ◽  
Sympatric Populations ◽  
Metazoan Parasites ◽  
Random Dispersion ◽  
Host Parasite

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare the diversity and community structure of metazoan parasites in sympatric populations of Triportheus angulatus and Triportheus auritus in the Jari River basin, in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. All the specimens of T. angulatus and T. auritus examined were infected by Anacanthorus furculus, Anacanthorus pithophallus, Digenea gen. sp., Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus, Rhabdochona acuminata, Contracaecum sp., Ergasilus sp. and Acarina gen. sp. These parasites displayed aggregated or random dispersion. The parasite community in T. angulatus and T. auritus presented a similarity of 78%. The diversity indice and richness of parasite species were greater in T. auritus and there were differences in levels of host parasite infection for some infracommunities. Phyllodistomum spatula occurred only in T. angulatus, while metacercariae of Clinostomum marginatum and Digenea gen. sp.2 occurred only in T. auritus. The species richness of the parasites was influenced by host size, as well as the abundance of some parasite infracommunities. This is the first report of these parasites for T. angulatus and T. auritus, except for P. (S.) inopinatus and Contracaecum sp. for T. angulatus.

scholarly journals How Does Circadian Rhythm Shape Host-Parasite Associations? A Comparative Study on Infection Patterns in Diurnal and Nocturnal Raptors

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 338
Author(s):  
Kai Gao ◽  
Bing Zhou ◽  
Li-Xing Yang ◽  
Lu Dong ◽  
Xi Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Classical Model ◽  
Parasite Infection ◽  
Haemosporidian Parasites ◽  
Rescue Center ◽  
Avian Haemosporidians ◽  
Vertebrate Hosts ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Insight Into

Infection patterns of parasites, including their prevalence, diversity and host specificity, can be impacted by many biological and environmental factors, but no study has focused on the circadian rhythms of vertebrate hosts, which may affect susceptibilities and encounter rates between hosts and vectors and further shape host-parasite associations. In this study, we focused on avian haemosporidians, a classical model in studies of host-parasite associations, and investigated the infection patterns in rescued raptors brought to the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center during 2007–2020. We first assessed the association between prevalence and host biotic traits; haemosporidian prevalence was higher in the nocturnal raptors than in the diurnal raptors, and the prevalence of Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon in the nocturnal raptors was significantly higher than that in the diurnal raptors. Furthermore, we analysed the phylogenetic relationship and host-parasite network-level differences of haemosporidian parasites in diurnal and nocturnal raptors, and demonstrated that the lineages infecting the diurnal and nocturnal raptors were not clearly separated, but the nocturnal lifestyle led to a more specialized host-parasite network structure. These variations in host-parasite associations may be driven by different susceptibilities of the hosts and the diversity or abundance of vectors during the day and night. Our study provides new insight into host-parasite associations shaped by circadian rhythm and calls for more studies on the underlying mechanisms of parasite infection.

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