Determinants of haemosporidian single and co-infections risks in western paleartic birds

Co-infections with multiple pathogens are common in the wild and may act as a strong selective pressure on both host and parasite evolution. Yet, contrary to single infection, the factors that shape co-infection risk are largely under-investigated. Here, we explored the extent to which bird ecology and phylogeny impact single and co-infection probabilities by haemosporidian parasites using large datasets from museum collections and a Bayesian phylogenetic modelling framework. While both phylogeny and species attributes (e.g. size of the geographic range, life-history strategy, migration) were relevant predictors of co-infection risk, these factors were less pertinent in predicting the probability of being single infected. Our study suggests that co-infection risk is under a stronger deterministic control than single-infection risk. These results underscore the combined influence of host evolutionary history and species attributes in determining single and co-infection pattern providing new avenues regarding our ability to predict infection risk in the wild.

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Blood parasites in vectors reveal a united blackfly community in the upper canopy

10.21203/rs.2.22636/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nayden Chakarov ◽

Helge Kampen ◽

Anja Wiegmann ◽

Doreen Werner ◽

Staffan Bensch

Keyword(s):

Forest Canopy ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Blood Parasites ◽

Avian Host ◽

Haemosporidian Parasite ◽

Host Group ◽

Haemosporidian Parasites ◽

Blood Sucking ◽

In The Wild ◽

Host Parasite

Abstract Background: The behaviour of blood-sucking arthropods is a crucial determinant of blood protozoan distribution and hence of host-parasite coevolution, but it is very challenging to study in the wild. The molecular identification of parasite lineages in vectors can be a useful key to understand the behaviour and transmission patterns realised by these vectors. Methods: In this study, we collected blackflies around nests of three raptor species in the upper forest canopy in central Europe and examined the presence of vertebrate DNA and haemosporidian parasites in them. We molecularly analysed 156 blackfly individuals, their vertebrate blood meals, and the haemosporidian parasite lineages they carried. Results: We identified nine species of Simulium blackflies, largely belonging to the subgenera Nevermannia and Eusimulium. Only 1% of the collected specimens was visibly engorged, and only 4% contained remains of host DNA. However, in 29% of the blackflies Leucocytozoon lineages were identified, which is evidence of a previous blood meal on an avian host. Based on the known vertebrate hosts of the recorded Leucocytozoon lineages, we can infer that large and/or abundant birds, such as thrushes, crows, pigeons, birds of prey, owls and tits are the main targets of ornithophilic blackflies in the canopy. Blackfly species contained similar proportions of host group-specific parasite lineages and thus do not appear to be associated with particular host groups. Conclusions: The Leucocytozoon clade infecting thrushes, crows, and pigeons present in most represented blackfly species suggests a lack of association between hosts and blackflies, which can increase the probability of host switches of blood parasites. However, the composition of the simuliid species differed between nests of common buzzards, goshawks and red kites. This segregation can be explained by coinciding habitat preferences between host and vector, and may lead to the fast speciation of Leucocytozoon parasites. Thus, subtle ecological preferences and lack of host preference of vectors in the canopy may enable both parasite diversification and host switches, and enforce a habitat-dependent evolution of avian malaria parasites and related haemosporidia.

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Microsporidian Infection in a Free-Living Marine Nematode

Eukaryotic Cell ◽

10.1128/ec.00228-12 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 1544-1551 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

A. M. Ardila-Garcia ◽

N. M. Fast

Keyword(s):

Marine Nematode ◽

Free Living ◽

Content Type ◽

Infection Pattern ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Muscle Tissues ◽

Natural Hosts ◽

In The Wild ◽

Microsporidian Infection

ABSTRACT Microsporidia are unicellular fungi that are obligate endoparasites. Although nematodes are one of the most abundant and diverse animal groups, the only confirmed report of microsporidian infection was that of the “nematode killer” ( Nematocida parisii ). N. parisii was isolated from a wild Caenorhabditis sp. and causes an acute and lethal intestinal infection in a lab strain of Caenorhabditis elegans . We set out to characterize a microsporidian infection in a wild nematode to determine whether the infection pattern of N. parisii in the lab is typical of microsporidian infections in nematodes. We describe a novel microsporidian species named Sporanauta perivermis (marine spore of roundworms) and characterize its infection in its natural host, the free-living marine nematode Odontophora rectangula. S. perivermis is not closely related to N. parisii and differs strikingly in all aspects of infection. Examination by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the infection was localized in the hypodermal and muscle tissues only and did not involve the intestines. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) confirmed infection in the muscle and hypodermis, and surprisingly, it also revealed that the parasite infects O. rectangula eggs, suggesting a vertical mode of transmission. Our observations highlight the importance of studying parasites in their natural hosts and indicate that not all nematode-infecting microsporidia are “nematode killers”; instead, microsporidiosis can be more versatile and chronic in the wild.

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Simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens by multiplex PCR coupled with DNA biochip hybridization

Laboratory Animals ◽

10.1177/0023677217718864 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 52 (2) ◽

pp. 186-195 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hsiang-Yun Tung ◽

Wei-Chen Chen ◽

Bor-Rung Ou ◽

Jan-Ying Yeh ◽

Yeong-Hsiang Cheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiplex Pcr ◽

Simultaneous Detection ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Single Infection ◽

Pcr Analysis ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Viral Pathogens ◽

Single Target ◽

Primer Sets ◽

Multiple Pathogens

Traditional serological enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is routinely used to monitor pathogens during quarantine in most animal facilities to prevent possible infection. However, the ELISA platform is a single-target assay, and screening all targeted pathogens is time-consuming and laborious. In this study, to increase sensitivity and to reduce diagnosis time for high-throughput processes, multiplex PCR and DNA biochip techniques were combined to develop a multi-pathogen diagnostic method for use instead of routine ELISA. Eight primer sets were designed for multiplex PCR to detect genes from seven targeted bacterial and viral pathogens. DNA–DNA hybridization was conducted on a biochip following the multiple PCR analysis. Using this method, a total of 24 clinical samples were tested, and the result showed that not only single infection but also co-infection by multi-pathogens can be detected. In conclusion, multiplex PCR coupled with a DNA biochip is an efficient method for detecting multi-pathogens in a reaction. This platform is a useful tool for quarantine services and disease prevention in animal facilities.

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The role of past experience in development of feeding behavior in common vampire bats

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.7448 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e7448 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jineth Berrío-Martínez ◽

Samuel Kaiser ◽

Michelle Nowak ◽

Rachel A. Page ◽

Gerald G. Carter

Keyword(s):

Life History Strategy ◽

Past Experience ◽

Short Term ◽

Blood Temperature ◽

Age Dependent ◽

Vampire Bats ◽

In The Wild ◽

Foraging Skills

The life history strategy of common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) suggests that learning might play a role in development of their foraging skills. We took advantage of 12 captive births in a study colony of vampire bats to test the role of past experience in two aspects of feeding. First, we compared preferences for blood temperature in 32 wild-born vampire bats versus 11 captive-born vampire bats that had only previously fed on blood of ambient temperature or colder. We found no evidence for a preference in either group for blood presented at 4 °C versus 37 °C. Second, we tested whether captive-born vampire bats with no previous experience of feeding on live animals could successfully feed on a live chicken. Five of 12 naïve captive-born bats were able to bite the chicken and draw blood, but only one bat gained more than 5% of body mass. We were unable to reasonably compare their feeding performance with that of wild-born bats because only two of three wild-born, short-term captive bats fed on the chicken and none of the seven wild-born, long-term captive mothers attempted to feed. This unexpected lack of feeding might be due to a previously reported age-dependent neophobia. When six of the captive-born bats were released in the wild, they appeared to feed successfully because they survived for more than three consecutive nights. We suggest further tests that would better clarify the role of learning in the development of foraging in vampire bats.

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To breed or not to breed: a seabird's response to extreme climatic events

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2010.0778 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 303-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 67

Author(s):

Sarah Cubaynes ◽

Paul F. Doherty ◽

E. A. Schreiber ◽

Olivier Gimenez

Keyword(s):

El Niño ◽

El Nino ◽

Life History Strategy ◽

Adaptive Strategy ◽

Age Classes ◽

Trade Off ◽

Survival And Reproduction ◽

In The Wild ◽

Breeding Attempt ◽

Intermittent Breeding

Intermittent breeding is an important life-history strategy that has rarely been quantified in the wild and for which drivers remain unclear. It may be the result of a trade-off between survival and reproduction, with individuals skipping breeding when breeding conditions are below a certain threshold. Heterogeneity in individual quality can also lead to heterogeneity in intermittent breeding. We modelled survival, recruitment and breeding probability of the red-footed booby ( Sula sula ), using a 19 year mark–recapture dataset involving more than 11 000 birds. We showed that skipping breeding was more likely in El-Niño years, correlated with an increase in the local sea surface temperature, supporting the hypothesis that it may be partly an adaptive strategy of birds to face the trade-off between survival and reproduction owing to environmental constraints. We also showed that the age-specific probability of first breeding attempt was synchronized among different age-classes and higher in El-Niño years. This result suggested that pre-breeders may benefit from lowered competition with experienced breeders in years of high skipping probabilities.

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Using hierarchies of cause to inform conservation of a naturally rare but critically endangered shrub Lasiopetalum pterocarpum (Malvaceae s.l.)

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt09040 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 57 (5) ◽

pp. 414 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

C. F. Wilkins ◽

P. G. Ladd ◽

B. J. Vincent ◽

A. D. Crawford ◽

L. W. Sage

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Seedling Recruitment ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Life History Strategy ◽

Fruit Production ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Active Management ◽

Critically Endangered Species ◽

Hand Pollination ◽

In The Wild

Understanding the causes of rarity and ways of managing populations of rare species is essential for their successful conservation. The present study applies the conceptual model of a hierarchy of causes to Lasiopetalum pterocarpum E.M.Benn. & K.Shep. (a critically endangered species) to understand better its reproductive and ecological attributes, possible reasons for its rarity and to determine whether this model assists in developing management strategies. L. pterocarpum subpopulations from Serpentine National Park were censused to record abundance, plant health, phenology, flower and fruit production and the presence of any seed bank. These characteristics were matched to criteria in the hierarchies of cause model. There was no evidence of recent seedling recruitment at any subpopulation. Hand-pollination produced a flower-to-fruit conversion proportion similar to that found in the field and self- and cross-pollinations produced virtually the same fruit set. Seed store in soil from beneath the native subpopulations and at a translocation site showed seed was patchily distributed and infrequent. L. pterocarpum is an obligate seeder, killed by fire and dependent on disturbance to break seed dormancy. However, smoke has no effect on germination. Seed production does not constrain population growth, because seedling regeneration after fire in 1999 was prolific at sites where plants had been growing. In the hierarchies of cause framework, the main causes of rarity for this species are taxon ecology, life-history strategy and stochasticity. Thus, concentrating active management on factors related to life history such as mosaic patch burning, fencing after fire to exclude vertebrate grazers, weed control and establishment of translocated populations will aid the preservation of this species in the wild.

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Probable transmission routes of the influenza virus in a nosocomial outbreak

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268818001012 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 146 (9) ◽

pp. 1114-1122 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

S. Xiao ◽

J. W. Tang ◽

D. S. Hui ◽

H. Lei ◽

H. Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Influenza Virus ◽

Long Range ◽

Index Patient ◽

Infection Risk ◽

Health Concern ◽

Influenza Outbreak ◽

Modelling Framework ◽

Transmission Modes ◽

Multi Agent ◽

Best Fit

AbstractInfluenza is a long-standing public health concern, but its transmission remains poorly understood. To have a better knowledge of influenza transmission, we carried out a detailed modelling investigation in a nosocomial influenza outbreak in Hong Kong. We identified three hypothesised transmission modes between index patient and other inpatients based on the long-range airborne and fomite routes. We considered three kinds of healthcare workers’ routine round pathways in 1140 scenarios with various values of important parameters. In each scenario, we used a multi-agent modelling framework to estimate the infection risk for each hypothesis and conducted least-squares fitting to evaluate the hypotheses by comparing the distribution of the infection risk with that of the attack rates. Amongst the hypotheses tested in the 1140 scenarios, the prediction of modes involving the long-range airborne route fit better with the attack rates, and that of the two-route transmission mode had the best fit, with the long-range airborne route contributing about 94% and the fomite route contributing 6% to the infections. Under the assumed conditions, the influenza virus was likely to have spread via a combined long-range airborne and fomite routes, with the former predominant and the latter negligible.

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Outbreak of diarrhea among preweaning alpacas (Vicugna pacos) in the southern Peruvian highland

The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries ◽

10.3855/jidc.7398 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (03) ◽

pp. 269-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Miguel Rojas ◽

Alberto Manchego ◽

Camila B Rocha ◽

Luz Alba Fornells ◽

Raquel C Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diarrheal Disease ◽

Single Infection ◽

South American ◽

South American Camelids ◽

E Coli ◽

Future Assessment ◽

Vicugna Pacos ◽

Eimeria Spp ◽

Severity Of The Disease ◽

Multiple Pathogens

Introduction: Infections, particularly diarrheal infections, are a major cause of neonatal death in South American camelids. The aim of this study was to identify the pathogens that could have caused the recent diarrhea outbreak among the alpacas in Silli, Cusco, located in the southern Peruvian highland. Methodology: Spleen, kidney, and intestine tissue along with fecal and intestinal lavage samples were obtained from 50 one- to five-week-old alpacas and analyzed for the presence of parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Results: Laboratory testing of the 50 crias included in this study revealed that 80% were infected with Eimeria spp., 40% with coronavirus, 34% with E. coli, 32% with rotavirus, 22% with Clostridium spp., and 20% with Cryptosporidium spp. Of these 50 alpaca crias, 20 presented with a single infection (19 positive for Eimeria spp. and 1 positive for rotavirus). Co-infections with up to four pathogens occurred in 60% of the samples. The significance of such infections is not clear, but it is noteworthy that the animals suffering from necrotic and/or hemorrhagic enteritis presented with quadruple infections. It is likely that co-infections increase the severity of the disease. Conclusions: These data show that multiple pathogens circulate among young alpaca crias and could be associated with diarrheal disease in these animals. The findings from this study warrant the provision of subsidies for future assessment of the potential economic impact of these infections on the productivity of the Peruvian alpaca industry.

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Genomic sequence capture of haemosporidian parasites: Methods and prospects for enhanced study of host–parasite evolution

Molecular Ecology Resources ◽

10.1111/1755-0998.12977 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 400-410 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Lisa N. Barrow ◽

Julie M. Allen ◽

Xi Huang ◽

Staffan Bensch ◽

Christopher C. Witt

Keyword(s):

Genomic Sequence ◽

Sequence Capture ◽

Haemosporidian Parasites ◽

Parasite Evolution ◽

Host Parasite

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Negative associations between parasite avoidance, resistance and tolerance predict host health in salmonid fish populations

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.0388 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 287 (1925) ◽

pp. 20200388 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ines Klemme ◽

Pekka Hyvärinen ◽

Anssi Karvonen

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Salmo Trutta ◽

Common Garden ◽

Diplostomum Pseudospathaceum ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Parasite Infections ◽

In The Wild ◽

Parasite Evolution ◽

Host Parasite ◽

Eye Fluke

Genetic variation in defence against parasite infections is fundamental for host–parasite evolution. The overall level of defence of a host individual or population includes mechanisms that reduce parasite exposure (avoidance), establishment (resistance) or pathogenicity (tolerance). However, how these traits operate and evolve in concert is not well understood. Here, we investigated genetic variation in and associations between avoidance, resistance and tolerance in a natural host–parasite system. Replicated populations of Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) and sea trout (an anadromous form of brown trout, Salmo trutta ) were raised under common garden conditions and infected with the eye fluke Diplostomum pseudospathaceum . We demonstrate significant genetic variation in the defence traits across host populations and negative associations between the traits, with the most resistant populations showing the weakest avoidance and the lowest infection tolerance. These results are suggestive of trade-offs between different components of defence and possibly underlie the genetic variation in defence traits observed in the wild. Because the three defence mechanisms affect host–parasite evolution in profoundly different ways, we emphasize the importance of studying these traits in concert.

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