scholarly journals Pathogenic landscapes: Interactions between land, people, disease vectors, and their animal hosts

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric F Lambin ◽  
Annelise Tran ◽  
Sophie O Vanwambeke ◽  
Catherine Linard ◽  
Valérie Soti
Keyword(s):  
Disease Vectors ◽  
Animal Hosts

Neurotropic enteroviruses co-opt “fair-weather-friend” commensal gut microbiota to drive host infection and central nervous system disturbances

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Gut Bacteria ◽  
Infection Cycle ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
Host Health ◽  
Microbe Interactions ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
Host Infection ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Conditions

Abstract Some neurotropic enteroviruses hijack Trojan horse/raft commensal gut bacteria to render devastating biomimicking cryptic attacks on human/animal hosts. Such virus-microbe interactions manipulate hosts’ gut-brain axes with accompanying infection-cycle-optimizing central nervous system (CNS) disturbances, including severe neurodevelopmental, neuromotor, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Co-opted bacteria thus indirectly influence host health, development, behavior, and mind as possible “fair-weather-friend” symbionts, switching from commensal to context-dependent pathogen-like strategies benefiting gut-bacteria fitness.

Insecticidal Active Rotenoids from Plant Parts and Callus Culture of Medicago sativa L. from a Semiarid Region of India (Rajasthan)

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 937-941
Author(s):  
Sharad Vats ◽  
Preeti Mehra
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Callus Culture ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Disease Vectors ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Resistant Varieties ◽  
Medicago Sativa L

Background: Vector-borne diseases are quite prevalent globally and are one of the major causes of deaths due to infectious diseases. There is an availability of synthetic insecticides, however, their excessive and indiscriminate use have resulted in the emergence of resistant varieties of insects. Thus, a search for novel biopesticide has become inevitable. Methods: Rotenoids were isolated and identified from different parts of Medicago sativa L. This group of metabolites was also identified in the callus culture, and the rotenoid content was monitored during subculturing for a period of 10 months. Enhancement of the rotenoid content was evaluated by feeding precursors in a tissue culture medium. Results: Four rotenoids (elliptone, deguelin, rotenone and Dehydrorotenone) were identified, which were confirmed using spectral and chromatographic techniques. The maximum rotenoid content was found in the seeds (0.33±0.01%), followed by roots (0.31±0.01%) and minimum in the aerial parts (0.20±0.05%). A gradual decrease in the rotenoid content was observed with the ageing of subcultured tissue maintained for 10 months. The production of rotenoids was enhanced up to 2 folds in the callus culture using amino acids, Phenylalanine and Methionine as precursors as compared to the control. The LC50 value of the rotenoids was found to be 91 ppm and 162 ppm against disease vectors of malaria and Dracunculiasis, respectively. Conclusion: The study projects M. sativa as a novel source of biopesticide against the disease vectors of malaria and Dracunculiasis. The use of precursors to enhance the rotenoid content in vitro can be an effective venture from a commercial point of view.

scholarly journals Does Local Adaptation Impact on the Distribution of Competing Aedes Disease Vectors?

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Bennett ◽  
William Owen McMillan ◽  
Jose R. Loaiza
Keyword(s):  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Disease Vectors ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Transplant Experiment ◽  
Reciprocal Transplant Experiment ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Ecological Resources ◽  
The Face ◽  
Arboviral Disease

Ae. (Stegomyia) aegypti L. and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus Skuse mosquitoes are major arboviral disease vectors in human populations. Interspecific competition between these species shapes their distribution and hence the incidence of disease. While Ae. albopictus is considered a superior competitor for ecological resources and displaces its contender Ae. aegypti from most environments, the latter is able to persist with Ae. albopictus under particular environmental conditions, suggesting species occurrence cannot be explained by resource competition alone. The environment is an important determinant of species displacement or coexistence, although the factors underpinning its role remain little understood. In addition, it has been found that Ae. aegypti can be adapted to the environment across a local scale. Based on data from the Neotropical country of Panama, we present the hypothesis that local adaptation to the environment is critical in determining the persistence of Ae. aegypti in the face of its direct competitor Ae. albopictus. We show that although Ae. albopictus has displaced Ae. aegypti in some areas of Panama, both species coexist across many areas, including regions where Ae. aegypti appear to be locally adapted to dry climate conditions and less vegetated environments. Based on these findings, we describe a reciprocal transplant experiment to test our hypothesis, with findings expected to provide fundamental insights into the role of environmental variation in shaping the landscape of emerging arboviral disease.

scholarly journals Lifestyle of sponge symbiont phages by host prediction and correlative microscopy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Jahn ◽  
T. Lachnit ◽  
S. M. Markert ◽  
C. Stigloher ◽  
L. Pita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distinct Pattern ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Bacterial Symbionts ◽  
Correlative Microscopy ◽  
Phage Ecology ◽  
Infection Dynamics ◽  
Imaging Approach ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
Viral Distribution

AbstractBacteriophages (phages) are ubiquitous elements in nature, but their ecology and role in animals remains little understood. Sponges represent the oldest known extant animal-microbe symbiosis and are associated with dense and diverse microbial consortia. Here we investigate the tripartite interaction between phages, bacterial symbionts, and the sponge host. We combined imaging and bioinformatics to tackle important questions on who the phage hosts are and what the replication mode and spatial distribution within the animal is. This approach led to the discovery of distinct phage-microbe infection networks in sponge versus seawater microbiomes. A new correlative in situ imaging approach (‘PhageFISH-CLEM‘) localised phages within bacterial symbiont cells, but also within phagocytotically active sponge cells. We postulate that the phagocytosis of free virions by sponge cells modulates phage-bacteria ratios and ultimately controls infection dynamics. Prediction of phage replication strategies indicated a distinct pattern, where lysogeny dominates the sponge microbiome, likely fostered by sponge host-mediated virion clearance, while lysis dominates in seawater. Collectively, this work provides new insights into phage ecology within sponges, highlighting the importance of tripartite animal-phage-bacterium interplay in holobiont functioning. We anticipate that our imaging approach will be instrumental to further understanding of viral distribution and cellular association in animal hosts.

scholarly journals Domestication of wild animals may provide a springboard for rapid variation of coronavirus

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 252-254
Author(s):  
Lei Gao
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Rapid Variation ◽  
Cross Breeding ◽  
Important Direction ◽  
Animal Hosts

Abstract Coronaviruses have spread widely among humans and other animals, but not all coronaviruses carried by specific animals can directly infect other kinds of animals. Viruses from most animal hosts need an intermediate host before they can spread widely among humans. Under natural conditions, coronaviruses do not rapidly change from infecting wild animals as intermediate hosts and to spreading widely among humans. The intermediate host might be the animals captured or bred for the purpose of cross-breeding with domesticated species for improvement of the breed. These animals differ from wild animals at the environmental and genetic levels. It is an important direction to study the semi-wild animals domesticated by humans in search for intermediate hosts of viruses widely spread among humans.

scholarly journals Sialic Acids as Receptors for Pathogens

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 831
Author(s):  
Patrycja Burzyńska ◽  
Łukasz F. Sobala ◽  
Krzysztof Mikołajczyk ◽  
Marlena Jodłowska ◽  
Ewa Jaśkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Parasite ◽  
Sialic Acids ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Disease Vectors ◽  
Animal Disease ◽  
Parasite Plasmodium ◽  
Parasite Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Infection Biology ◽  
Species Specific

Carbohydrates have long been known to mediate intracellular interactions, whether within one organism or between different organisms. Sialic acids (Sias) are carbohydrates that usually occupy the terminal positions in longer carbohydrate chains, which makes them common recognition targets mediating these interactions. In this review, we summarize the knowledge about animal disease-causing agents such as viruses, bacteria and protozoa (including the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum) in which Sias play a role in infection biology. While Sias may promote binding of, e.g., influenza viruses and SV40, they act as decoys for betacoronaviruses. The presence of two common forms of Sias, Neu5Ac and Neu5Gc, is species-specific, and in humans, the enzyme converting Neu5Ac to Neu5Gc (CMAH, CMP-Neu5Ac hydroxylase) is lost, most likely due to adaptation to pathogen regimes; we discuss the research about the influence of malaria on this trait. In addition, we present data suggesting the CMAH gene was probably present in the ancestor of animals, shedding light on its glycobiology. We predict that a better understanding of the role of Sias in disease vectors would lead to more effective clinical interventions.

scholarly journals Unresolved advantages of multipartitism in spatially structured environments

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P Zwart ◽  
Stéphane Blanc ◽  
Marcelle Johnson ◽  
Susanna Manrubia ◽  
Yannis Michalakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Organization ◽  
Latent Infection ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Plant Viruses ◽  
Epidemic Spread ◽  
Virus Particles ◽  
Distinct Virus ◽  
Network Epidemiology ◽  
Short Commentary ◽  
Animal Hosts

Abstract Multipartite viruses have segmented genomes and package each of their genome segments individually into distinct virus particles. Multipartitism is common among plant viruses, but why this apparently costly genome organization and packaging has evolved remains unclear. Recently Zhang and colleagues developed network epidemiology models to study the epidemic spread of multipartite viruses and their distribution over plant and animal hosts (Phys. Rev. Lett. 2019, 123, 138101). In this short commentary, we call into question the relevance of these results because of key model assumptions. First, the model of plant hosts assumes virus transmission only occurs between adjacent plants. This assumption overlooks the basic but imperative fact that most multipartite viruses are transmitted over variable distances by mobile animal vectors, rendering the model results irrelevant to differences between plant and animal hosts. Second, when not all genome segments of a multipartite virus are transmitted to a host, the model assumes an incessant latent infection occurs. This is a bold assumption for which there is no evidence to date, making the relevance of these results to understanding multipartitism questionable.

Antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic bacteria: lessons learned from host-specific pathogens

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trudy M. Wassenaar ◽  
Peter Silley
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Animal Host ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Single Animal ◽  
Resistance Patterns ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
Zoonotic Bacteria ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractThe relative contribution of veterinary and human clinical treatments to the selection of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic pathogens remains controversial. In this review, we consider bacterial pathogens that differ in host specificity and address their resistance profiles: pathogens that only occur in the human host, pathogens that are specific to particular food-producing animals and pathogens that occur in both host types. Compared with those pathogens restricted to a single animal host, pathogens found in both human and animal hosts appear to have higher incidences of resistance. However, the most urgent and severe resistance problems occur with pathogens exclusively infecting humans. Differences exist in the available genetic repertoire of a bacterial species and these are reflected in the observed resistance patterns; it is important to note that different bacterial species do not automatically result in similarly resistant populations when they undergo comparable selection in different host species. Thus, within a bacterial species, prevalence of resistance can differ between populations isolated from different hosts. For some species, fluctuations in dominant subpopulations, for instance particular serotypes, can be the most important factor determining resistance. The frequently expressed opinion that veterinary use of antimicrobials is at the heart of many resistance problems may be an oversimplification of the complex forces at play.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document