Generalist Eimeria species in rodents: multilocus analyses indicate inadequate resolution of established markers

AbstractIntracellular parasites of the genus Eimeria are described as tissue/host specific. Phylogenetic classification of rodent Eimeria suggested that some species have a broader host range than previously assumed. We explore if Eimeria spp. infecting house mice are misclassified by the most widely used molecular markers due to a lack of resolution, or if, instead, these parasite species are indeed infecting multiple host species.With the commonly used markers (18S/COI), we recovered monophyletic clades of E. falciformis and E. vermiformis from Mus that included E. apionodes identified in other rodent host species (Apodemus spp., Myodes glareolus, and Microtus arvalis). A lack of internal resolution in these clades could suggest the existence of a species complex with a wide host range infecting murid and cricetid rodents. We question, however, the power of COI and 18S markers to provide adequate resolution for assessing host specificity. In addition to the rarely used marker ORF470 from the apicoplast genome, we present multilocus genotyping as an alternative approach. Phylogenetic analysis of 35 nuclear markers differentiated E. falciformis from house mice from isolates from Apodemus hosts. Isolates of E. vermiformis from Mus are still found in clusters interleaved with non-Mus isolates, even with this high resolution data.In conclusion, we show that species-level resolution should not be assumed for COI and 18S markers in Coccidia. Host-parasite co-speciation at shallow phylogenetic nodes, as well as contemporary coccidian host ranges more generally, are still open questions that need to be addressed using novel genetic markers with higher resolution.

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Low Host Specialization in the Cuckoo Wasp, Parnopes grandior, Weakens Chemical Mimicry but Does Not Lead to Local Adaption

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11020136 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 136

Author(s):

Carlo Polidori ◽

Yolanda Ballesteros ◽

Mareike Wurdack ◽

Josep Daniel Asís ◽

José Tormos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Local Adaptation ◽

Natural Enemies ◽

Host Species ◽

Chemical Mimicry ◽

Host Specialization ◽

Wasp Species ◽

Brood Parasites ◽

Nesting Sites ◽

Host Parasite

Insect brood parasites have evolved a variety of strategies to avoid being detected by their hosts. Few previous studies on cuckoo wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae), which are natural enemies of solitary wasps and bees, have shown that chemical mimicry, i.e., the biosynthesis of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) that match the host profile, evolved in several species. However, mimicry was not detected in all investigated host-parasite pairs. The effect of host range as a second factor that may play a role in evolution of mimicry has been neglected, since all previous studies were carried out on host specialists and at nesting sites where only one host species occurred. Here we studied the cuckoo wasp Parnopes grandior, which attacks many digger wasp species of the genus Bembix (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae). Given its weak host specialization, P. grandior may either locally adapt by increasing mimicry precision to only one of the sympatric hosts or it may evolve chemical insignificance by reducing the CHC profile complexity and/or CHCs amounts. At a study site harbouring three host species, we found evidence for a weak but appreciable chemical deception strategy in P. grandior. Indeed, the CHC profile of P. grandior was more similar to all sympatric Bembix species than to a non-host wasp species belonging to the same tribe as Bembix. Furthermore, P. grandior CHC profile was equally distant to all the hosts’ CHC profiles, thus not pointing towards local adaptation of the CHC profile to one of the hosts’ profile. We conducted behavioural assays suggesting that such weak mimicry is sufficient to reduce host aggression, even in absence of an insignificance strategy, which was not detected. Hence, we finally concluded that host range may indeed play a role in shaping the level of chemical mimicry in cuckoo wasps.

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Defining host range: host–parasite compatibility during the non-infective phase of the parasite also matters

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182018001233 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 146 (2) ◽

pp. 234-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jesús Veiga ◽

Paloma De Oña ◽

Beatriz Salazar ◽

Francisco Valera

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Host Species ◽

Columba Livia ◽

Avian Host ◽

Host Preferences ◽

Breeding Sites ◽

Carnus Hemapterus ◽

Pseudolynchia Canariensis ◽

European Roller ◽

Host Parasite

AbstractHost range and parasite specificity determine key epidemiological, ecological and evolutionary aspects of host–parasite interactions. Parasites are usually classified as generalists or specialists based on the number of hosts they feed on. Yet, the requirements of the various stages of a parasite may influence the suitability of a given host species. Here, we investigate the generalist nature of three common ectoparasites (the dipteran Carnus hemapterus and two species of louse flies, Pseudolynchia canariensis and Ornithophila metallica), exploiting two avian host species (the European roller Coracias garrulus and the Rock pigeon Columba livia), that frequently occupy the same breeding sites. We explore the prevalence and abundance of both the infective and the puparial stages of the ectoparasites in both host species. Strong preferences of Pseudolynchia canariensis for pigeons and of Carnus hemapterus for rollers were found. Moderate prevalence of Ornithophila metallica was found in rollers but this louse fly avoided pigeons. In some cases, the infestation patterns observed for imagoes and puparia were consistent whereas in other cases host preferences inferred from imagoes differed from the ones suggested by puparia. We propose that the adult stages of these ectoparasites are more specialist than reported and that the requirements of non-infective stages can restrict the effective host range of some parasites.

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The coevolutionary potential of a ‘generalist’ parasite, the hen flea Ceratophyllus gallinae

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182097001467 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 115 (4) ◽

pp. 419-427 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

F. TRIPET ◽

H. RICHNER

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Host Specificity ◽

Host Species ◽

Narrow Host Range ◽

Parasite Infestation ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Host Parasite ◽

Number Of Individuals ◽

Ceratophyllus Gallinae

Hosts exert selection pressures on their parasites and it is often assumed that host–parasite coevolution with each host is less intense in a generalist parasite than for a parasite with a narrow host range. Selection pressure on the parasite, however, is rather determined by host specificity, i.e. the relative importance of each host, than simply by the range of hosts. The determination of host specificity requires an assessment of the prevalence and intensity of parasite infestation within each host's nests, as well as the local abundance of each host species. Since the hen flea, Ceratophyllus gallinae, is a rather generalist parasite of birds it could be concluded that there has been weak coevolution with each of its hosts. By reviewing the literature on the prevalence and intensity of hen flea infestations in bird nests we estimated the number of individuals produced in the nest of each host species. The comparative analysis shows (1) that the prevalence of infestation is highest in hole-nesting avian families, (2) that prevalence and intensity of infestation among bird families are highly correlated, and (3) that hole-nesting Paridae have the highest intensities of infestation and harbour the majority of the flea population. These results underline the fleas' potential for coevolution with Paridae despite their extensive host range.

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Estimating parasite host range

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2017.1250 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 284 (1861) ◽

pp. 20171250 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Tad Dallas ◽

Shan Huang ◽

Charles Nunn ◽

Andrew W. Park ◽

John M. Drake

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Host Species ◽

Disease Ecology ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Simulated Data ◽

Host Community ◽

Estimation Accuracy ◽

Long Term Ecological Research ◽

Host Parasite

Estimating the number of host species that a parasite can infect (i.e. host range) provides key insights into the evolution of host specialism and is a central concept in disease ecology. Host range is rarely estimated in real systems, however, because variation in species relative abundance and the detection of rare species makes it challenging to confidently estimate host range. We applied a non-parametric richness indicator to estimate host range in simulated and empirical data, allowing us to assess the influence of sampling heterogeneity and data completeness. After validating our method on simulated data, we estimated parasite host range for a sparsely sampled global parasite occurrence database (Global Mammal Parasite Database) and a repeatedly sampled set of parasites of small mammals from New Mexico (Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research Program). Estimation accuracy varied strongly with parasite taxonomy, number of parasite occurrence records, and the shape of host species-abundance distribution (i.e. the dominance and rareness of species in the host community). Our findings suggest that between 20% and 40% of parasite host ranges are currently unknown, highlighting a major gap in our understanding of parasite specificity, host–parasite network structure, and parasite burdens.

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Host-parasite associations and host-specificity in haemoparasites of reed bed passerines

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182011002083 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 139 (3) ◽

pp. 310-316 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

RITA VENTIM ◽

JOANA MORAIS ◽

SARA PARDAL ◽

LUÍSA MENDES ◽

JAIME A. RAMOS ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Host Specificity ◽

Host Species ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Reed Beds ◽

Bird Populations ◽

Reed Bed ◽

Host Parasite ◽

Local Transmission

SUMMARYThe host specificity and host sharing of avian haemoparasites (genera Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) is still poorly known, although they infect a large proportion of several studied bird populations. This study used molecular techniques to detect haemoparasites in marsh warblers and in other passerines that feed in reed beds, at 4 sites in Portugal. The host-specificity of the parasite lineages was analysed and compared with other cases described in the literature to assess whether apparent host specificity changes according to the studied system. Nine lineages of Haemoproteus and 15 of Plasmodium were found, of which only 10 Plasmodium were proven to have local transmission. Each lineage was confined to a distinct set of host species. The distribution of parasites in the host species was non-nested, meaning that specialist lineages did not always share hosts with generalists. The most prevalent lineages were those with a wider host range, indicating that the ability to infect more hosts will enhance a parasite's prevalence in its entire host range. We also found that in our areas, a specialist parasite (H. MW1) appears to have a more generalist character than described in the literature, suggesting that a parasite's apparent specialization can depend on the type of host species sampled.

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Spatiotemporal dynamics of Puumala hantavirus associated with its rodent host,Myodes glareolus

Evolutionary Applications ◽

10.1111/eva.12263 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 545-559 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Vanessa Weber de Melo ◽

Hanan Sheikh Ali ◽

Jona Freise ◽

Denise Kühnert ◽

Sandra Essbauer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatiotemporal Dynamics ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Rodent Host

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Host Range of Some Eucalypt Mycorrhizal Fungi

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt9730103 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 103 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

GA Chilvers

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Host Species ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Wide Range ◽

Genus Eucalyptus

Various fungi are shown to form mycorrhizas with a wide range of host species within the genus Eucalyptus. In general, the same fungi do not appear to be capable of forming mycorrhizas with Pinus.

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Predicting the potential distribution ofVexillata(Nematoda: Ornithostrongylidae) and its hosts (Mammalia: Rodentia) within America

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1017/s0022149x12000612 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 87 (4) ◽

pp. 400-408 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E.A. Martínez-Salazar ◽

T. Escalante ◽

M. Linaje ◽

J. Falcón-Ordaz

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factor ◽

Species Distribution ◽

Host Species ◽

Potential Distribution ◽

Species Distribution Modelling ◽

Distribution Modelling ◽

Distributional Patterns ◽

Suitable Habitats ◽

Temperature Seasonality ◽

Host Parasite

AbstractSpecies distribution modelling has been a powerful tool to explore the potential distribution of parasites in wildlife, being the basis of studies on biogeography.Vexillataspp. are intestinal nematodes found in several species of mammalian hosts, such as rodents (Geomyoidea) and hares (Leporidae) in the Nearctic and northern Neotropical regions. In the present study, we modelled the potential distribution ofVexillataspp. and their hosts, using exclusively species from the Geomyidae and Heteromyidae families, in order to identify their distributional patterns. Bioclimatic and topographic variables were used to identify and predict suitable habitats forVexillataand its hosts. Using these models, we identified that temperature seasonality is a significant environmental factor that influences the distribution of the parasite genus and its host. In particular, the geographical distribution is estimated to be larger than that predicted for its hosts. This suggests that the nematode has the potential to extend its geographical range and also its spectrum of host species. Increasing sample size and geographical coverage will contribute to recommendations for conservation of this host–parasite system.

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The effects of seasonality on host–bat fly ecological networks in a temperate mountain cave

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182016002390 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 144 (5) ◽

pp. 692-697 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

KARINA D. RIVERA-GARCÍA ◽

CÉSAR A. SANDOVAL-RUIZ ◽

ROMEO A. SALDAÑA-VÁZQUEZ ◽

JORGE E. SCHONDUBE

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Host Species ◽

Rainy Season ◽

Ecological Networks ◽

Host Interactions ◽

Bat Flies ◽

Bat Fly ◽

Low Prevalence ◽

Host Parasite

SUMMARYChanges in the specialization of parasite–host interactions will be influenced by variations in host species composition. We evaluated this hypothesis by comparing the composition of bats and bat flies within a roost cave over one annual. Five bat and five bat fly species occupied the cave over the course of the study. Bat species composition was 40% different in the rainy season compared with the dry–cold and dry–warm seasons. Despite the incorporation of three new bat species into the cave during the rainy season, bat fly species composition was not affected by seasonality, since the bats that arrived in the rainy season only contributed one new bat fly species at a low prevalence. Bat–bat fly ecological networks were less specialized in the rainy season compared with the dry–cold and dry–warm seasons because of the increase of host overlap among bat fly species during this season. This study suggests that seasonality promote: (1) differences in host species composition, and (2) a reduction in the specialization of host–parasite ecological networks.

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Specificity

10.1093/oso/9780198832140.003.0007 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 159-182

Author(s):

Paul Schmid-Hempel

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Host Species ◽

Cross Reactivity ◽

Geographical Range ◽

Immune Memory ◽

Phylogenetic Distance ◽

Immune Priming ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

Ecological Filter ◽

Immune Defences

infect a number of host species. This host range is given by an ecological filter (the possibility of encounter) and a physiological one (the capacity of establishing an infection). Host ranges typically are right-skewed, with most parasites infecting only a few, but few infecting very many hosts. There is no universally valid hypothesis that explains host range. However, a number of factors contribute to host range, such as geographical range, phylogenetic distance, host predictability, and parasite virulence. Specificity and cross-reactivity of immune defences are important mechanisms. Moreover, immune memory is based on specificity; transgenerational immune priming protects offspring when parents have already been exposed to the same or similar parasites.

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