scholarly journals Metabarcoding reveals low prevalence of microsporidian infections in castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus)

2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Artur Trzebny ◽  
Justyna Liberska ◽  
Anna Slodkowicz-Kowalska ◽  
Miroslawa Dabert

Abstract Background Microsporidia is a large group of eukaryotic obligate intracellular spore-forming parasites, of which 17 species can cause microsporidiosis in humans. Most human-infecting microsporidians belong to the genera Enterocytozoon and Encephalitozoon. To date, only five microsporidian species, including Encephalitozoon-like, have been found in hard ticks (Ixodidae) using microscopic methods, but no sequence data are available for them. Furthermore, no widespread screening for microsporidian-infected ticks based on DNA analysis has been carried out to date. Thus, in this study, we applied a recently developed DNA metabarcoding method for efficient microsporidian DNA identification to assess the role of ticks as potential vectors of microsporidian species causing diseases in humans. Methods In total, 1070 (493 juvenile and 577 adult) unfed host-seeking Ixodes ricinus ticks collected at urban parks in the city of Poznan, Poland, and 94 engorged tick females fed on dogs and cats were screened for microsporidian DNA. Microsporidians were detected by PCR amplification and sequencing of the hypervariable V5 region of 18S rRNA gene (18S profiling) using the microsporidian-specific primer set. Tick species were identified morphologically and confirmed by amplification and sequencing of the shortened fragment of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (mini-COI). Results All collected ticks were unambiguously assigned to I. ricinus. Potentially zoonotic Encephalitozoon intestinalis was identified in three fed ticks (3.2%) collected from three different dogs. In eight unfed host-seeking ticks (0.8%), including three males (1.1%), two females (0.7%) and three nymphs (0.7%), the new microsporidian sequence representing a species belonging to the genus Endoreticulatus was identified. Conclusions The lack of zoonotic microsporidians in host-seeking ticks suggests that I. ricinus is not involved in transmission of human-infecting microsporidians. Moreover, a very low occurrence of the other microsporidian species in both fed and host-seeking ticks implies that mechanisms exist to defend ticks against infection with these parasites. Graphical abstract

2020 ◽  
Vol 141 ◽  
pp. 91-101
Author(s):  
P Ruggeri ◽  
J Naldoni ◽  
H Hartikainen ◽  
B Okamura

Malacosporeans are a group of endoparasitic cnidarians (Myxozoa) that use freshwater bryozoans and fish as final and intermediate hosts, respectively. The malacosporean Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae causes proliferative kidney disease (PKD), an emerging disease in aquaculture and wild fish populations, including threatened salmonids in Europe and the USA. Mixed infections of malacosporeans are often encountered, and a monitoring tool for screening of multiple malacosporean species in either their fish or bryozoan hosts is therefore desirable. We describe an inexpensive method that combines PCR amplification of the partial 18S rRNA gene (~260 bp) and a single-step restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method for identification of 10 malacosporean lineages and species. We demonstrate and test this methodology on a set of DNA extracted from malacosporeans infecting fish kidney and tissues sampled from bryozoan colonies and compare the results with Sanger sequencing of the same parasite DNA isolates. The PCR-RFLP and Sanger sequencing methods agreed in 100% of cases. The PCR-RFLP method offers a number of opportunities, including screening large panels of host tissue samples to gain insights into infection patterns, characterizing mixed infections, and confirming highly pathogenic T. bryosalmonae infections. The method can also be further refined as new sequence data become available for malacosporeans.


Parasitology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (5) ◽  
pp. 646-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
GASTÓN MORÉ ◽  
NIKOLA PANTCHEV ◽  
DALAND C. HERRMANN ◽  
MAJDA GLOBOKAR VRHOVEC ◽  
SABINE ÖFNER ◽  
...  

SUMMARYSarcocystisspp. represent apicomplexan parasites. They usually have a heteroxenous life cycle. Around 200 species have been described, affecting a wide range of animals worldwide, including reptiles. In recent years, large numbers of reptiles have been imported into Europe as pets and, as a consequence, animal welfare and species protection issues emerged. A sample of pooled feces from four confiscated green pythons (Morelia viridis) containingSarcocystisspp. sporocysts was investigated. These snakes were imported for the pet trade and declared as being captive-bred. Full length 18S rRNA genes were amplified, cloned into plasmids and sequenced. Two differentSarcocystisspp. sequences were identified and registered asSarcocystissp. fromM. viridisin GenBank. Both showed a 95–97% sequence identity with the 18S rRNA gene ofSarcocystis singaporensis.Phylogenetic analysis positioned these sequences together with otherSarcocystisspp. from snakes and rodents as definitive and intermediate hosts (IH), respectively. Sequence data and also the results of clinical and parasitological examinations suggest that the snakes were definitive hosts forSarcocystisspp. that circulate in wild IH. Thus, it seems unlikely that the infected snakes had been legally bred. Our research shows that information on the infection of snakes withSarcocystisspp. may be used to assess compliance with regulations on the trade with wildlife species.


2014 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Presswell ◽  
S. Evans ◽  
R. Poulin ◽  
F. Jorge

AbstractParasitic nematodes of the family Mermithidae were found to be infecting the introduced European earwig Forficula auricularia (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand. Adult females were later collected from various garden plants while depositing eggs. These mermithid specimens were identified morphologically as Mermis nigrescens Dujardin, 1842. A genetic distance of 0.7% between these specimens and a M. nigrescens isolate from Canada (18S rRNA gene), suggests that they have diverged genetically, but there are currently no available comparable sequences for the European M. nigrescens. Two additional nuclear fragments were also amplified, the 28S rRNA and the ribosomal DNA first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1), providing a basis for future studies. Bearing in mind the morphological similarity with other reported M. nigrescens and the lack of sequence data from other parts of the world, we retain the name M.nigrescens, and suggest that the species may be found to represent a complex of cryptic species when more worldwide data are available. Herein, we present a brief description of the post-parasitic worms and adult females, along with an inferred phylogeny using 18S rRNA gene sequences.


2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 507-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy B. Sheehan ◽  
Joan M. Henson ◽  
Michael J. Ferris

ABSTRACT Legionella species are frequently detected in aquatic environments, but their occurrence in extreme, acidic, geothermal habitats has not been explored with cultivation-independent methods. We investigated a predominately eukaryotic algal mat community in a pH 2.7 geothermal stream in Yellowstone National Park for the presence of Legionella and potential host amoebae. Our analyses, using PCR amplification with Legionella-specific primers targeting 16S rRNA genes, detected four known Legionella species, as well as Legionella sequences from species that are not represented in sequence databases, in mat samples and cultivated isolates. The nonrandom occurrence of sequences detected at lower (30�C) and higher (35 to 38�C) temperatures suggests that natural thermal gradients in the stream influence Legionella species distributions in this mat community. We detected only one sequence, Legionella micdadei, from cultivated isolates. We cultured and sequenced partial 18S rRNA gene regions from two potential hosts, Acanthamoeba and Euglena species.


2007 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 344-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.E. Redmond ◽  
R.W.M. van Soest ◽  
M. Kelly ◽  
J. Raleigh ◽  
S.A.A. Travers ◽  
...  

1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 1454-1458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Champliaud ◽  
Philippe Gobet ◽  
Muriel Naciri ◽  
Odile Vagner ◽  
José Lopez ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In order to determine the specificities of PCR-based assays used for detecting Cryptosporidium parvum DNA, eight pairs of previously described PCR primers targeting six distinct regions of theCryptosporidium genome were evaluated for the detection ofC. parvum, the agent of human cryptosporidiosis, andC. muris, C. baileyi, and C. meleagridis, three Cryptosporidium species that infect birds or mammals but are not considered to be human pathogens. The four Cryptosporidium species were divided into two groups: C. parvum and C. meleagridis, which gave the same-sized fragments with all the reactions, and C. muris and C. baileyi, which gave positive results with primer pairs targeting the 18S rRNA gene only. In addition to being genetically similar at each of the eight loci analyzed by DNA amplification, C. parvum and C. meleagridiscouldn’t be differentiated even after restriction enzyme digestion of the PCR products obtained from three of the target genes. This study indicates that caution should be exercised in the interpretation of data from water sample analysis performed by these methods, since a positive result does not necessarily reflect a contamination by the human pathogen C. parvum.


mSystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna B. Holm ◽  
Michael S. Humphrys ◽  
Courtney K. Robinson ◽  
Matthew L. Settles ◽  
Sandra Ott ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Amplification, sequencing, and analysis of the 16S rRNA gene affords characterization of microbial community composition. As this tool has become more popular and amplicon-sequencing applications have grown in the total number of samples, growth in sample multiplexing is becoming necessary while maintaining high sequence quality and sequencing depth. Here, modifications to the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform are described which produce greater multiplexing capabilities and 300-bp paired-end reads of higher quality than those produced by the current Illumina MiSeq platform. To improve the feasibility and flexibility of this method, a 2-step PCR amplification protocol is also described that allows for targeting of different amplicon regions, and enhances amplification success from samples with low bacterial bioburden. IMPORTANCE Amplicon sequencing has become a popular and widespread tool for surveying microbial communities. Lower overall costs associated with high-throughput sequencing have made it a widely adopted approach, especially for projects that necessitate sample multiplexing to eliminate batch effect and reduced time to acquire data. The method for amplicon sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform described here provides improved multiplexing capabilities while simultaneously producing greater quality sequence data and lower per-sample cost relative to those of the Illumina MiSeq platform without sacrificing amplicon length. To make this method more flexible for various amplicon-targeted regions as well as improve amplification from low-biomass samples, we also present and validate a 2-step PCR library preparation method.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5081 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-130
Author(s):  
BRIAN W. BAHDER ◽  
MARCO A. ZUMBADO ECHAVARRIA ◽  
EDWIN A. BARRANTES BARRANTES ◽  
ERICKA E. HELMICK ◽  
CHARLES R. BARTLETT

The derbid genus Oropuna is a small taxon of Neotropical planthoppers in the tribe Cenchreini comprised of three species. Recent survey work on palms for planthoppers in Costa Rica resulted in the discovery of a fourth species, Oropuna halo sp. n. In this study the new species is described and a key to the four species is provided along with sequence data for the cyctochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 18S rRNA gene for the novel taxon.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (supplement 1) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Vignesh ◽  
K. Rajamohan ◽  
R. Anandan ◽  
R. Udhayakumar

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important, commercial and widely grown vegetable crop in the world. Tomato plays a critical role in nutritional food requirements, income and employment opportunities for the people. However, its production is threatened by the Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici and productionlossesbetween30%to40%. In the present investigation an attempt has been made to study the morphological and molecular variation of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp lycopersici isolates. Usual identification of Fusarium species based on their micro and macroscopic features and morphological characters alone may lead to incorrect designation. In order to identify the correct species, we amplified the 18S rRNA gene region by PCR, sequenced and analyzed for sequence similarity among the NCBI data through BLAST. Further, PCR amplification of ITS regions was performed using ITS primers. The amplified product of 18S rRNA gene was sequenced and deposited to Gen Bank with the accession numbers.


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