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Salloum PM, Jorge F, Dheilly NM, Poulin R. Adoption of alternative life cycles in a parasitic trematode is linked to microbiome differences. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230091. [PMID: 37282491 PMCID: PMC10244958 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
For parasites with complex multi-host life cycles, the facultative truncation of the cycle represents an adaptation to challenging conditions for transmission. However, why certain individuals are capable of abbreviating their life cycle while other conspecifics are not remains poorly understood. Here, we test whether conspecific trematodes that either follow the normal three-host life cycle or skip their final host by reproducing precociously (via progenesis) in an intermediate host differ in the composition of their microbiomes. Characterization of bacterial communities based on sequencing of the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S SSU rRNA gene revealed that the same bacterial taxa occur in both normal and progenetic individuals, independent of host identity and temporal variation. However, all bacterial phyla recorded in our study, and two-thirds of bacterial families, differed in abundance between the two morphs, with some achieving higher abundance in the normal morph and others in the progenetic morph. Although the evidence is purely correlative, our results reveal a weak association between microbiome differences and intraspecific plasticity in life cycle pathways. Advances in functional genomics and experimental microbiome manipulation will allow future tests of the significance of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fátima Jorge
- Otago Micro and Nano Imaging, Electron Microscopy Unit, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Nolwenn M. Dheilly
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
- ANSES, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l'Alimentation, de l'Environnement et du Travail - Laboratoire de Ploufragan-Plouzané, Unité Génétique Virale de Biosécurité, 22440, Ploufragan, France
| | - Robert Poulin
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
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Jorge F, Dheilly NM, Froissard C, Wainwright E, Poulin R. Consistency of Bacterial Communities in a Parasitic Worm: Variation Throughout the Life Cycle and Across Geographic Space. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 83:724-738. [PMID: 34136952 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01774-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Microbial communities within metazoans are increasingly linked with development, health and behaviour, possibly functioning as integrated evolutionary units with the animal in which they live. This would require microbial communities to show some consistency both ontogenetically (across life stages) and geographically (among populations). We characterise the bacteriome of the parasitic trematode Philophthalmus attenuatus, which undergoes major life cycle transitions, and test whether its bacteriome remains consistent on developmental and spatial scales. Based on sequencing the prokaryotic 16S SSU rRNA gene, we compared the parasite bacteriome (i) across three life stages (rediae in snails, cercariae exiting snails, adults in birds) in one locality and (ii) among three geographic localities for rediae only. We found that each life stage harbours a bacteriome different from that of its host (except the adult stage) and the external environment. Very few bacterial taxa were shared among life stages, suggesting substantial ontogenetic turnover in bacteriome composition. Rediae from the three different localities also had different bacteriomes, with dissimilarities increasing with geographical distance. However, rediae from different localities nevertheless shared more bacterial taxa than did different life stages from the same locality. Changes in the bacteriome along the parasite's developmental history but some degree of geographical stability within a given life stage point toward non-random, stage-specific acquisition, selection and/or propagation of bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fátima Jorge
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Nolwenn M Dheilly
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- ANSES, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de L'Alimentation, de l'Environnement et du Travail - Laboratoire de Ploufragan-Plouzané, Unité Génétique Virale de Biosécurité, Ploufragan, France
| | - Céline Froissard
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Eleanor Wainwright
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Robert Poulin
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.
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Tkach VV. Presidential Address: Parasitology and Technology: A Perfect Symbiosis. J Parasitol 2021. [DOI: 10.1645/21-115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Vasyl V. Tkach
- Biology Department, University of North Dakota, 10 Cornell Street, Stop 9019, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202-9019
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Jorge F, Dheilly NM, Poulin R. Persistence of a Core Microbiome Through the Ontogeny of a Multi-Host Parasite. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:954. [PMID: 32508779 PMCID: PMC7248275 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal microbiomes influence their development, behavior and interactions with other organisms. Parasitic metazoans also harbor microbial communities; although they are likely to modulate host-parasite interactions, little is known about parasite microbiomes. The persistence of microbial communities throughout the life of a parasite is particularly challenging for helminths with complex life cycles. These parasites undergo major morphological changes during their life, and parasitize host species that are immunologically, physiologically, and phylogenetically very different. Here, using 16S amplicon sequencing, we characterize the microbiome of the trematode Coitocaecum parvum across four of its life stages: sporocysts, metacercariae and adults inhabiting (respectively) snails, crustaceans and fish, as well as free-living cercariae. Our results demonstrate that, at each life stage, the parasite possesses a phylogenetically diverse microbiome, distinct from that of its hosts or the external environment. The parasite's microbiome comprises bacterial taxa specific to each life stage in different hosts, as well as a small core set of taxa that persists across the parasite's whole life. The apparent existence of an ontogenetically and vertically transmitted core microbiome is supported by the findings that the diversity and taxonomic composition of the microbiome does not vary significantly among life stages, and that the main source of microbial taxa at any life stage is the previous life stage. Our results suggest that microbes are an integrated component of the trematode, possibly shaping its phenotype and host-parasite interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fátima Jorge
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Nolwenn M. Dheilly
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
- Unité Génétique Virale de Biosécurité, Laboratoire de Ploufragan-Plouzané, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail, Ploufragan, France
| | - Robert Poulin
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Use of synthesized double-stranded gene fragments as qPCR standards for the quantification of antibiotic resistance genes. J Microbiol Methods 2019; 164:105670. [PMID: 31325465 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2019.105670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 07/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Pollution of various environmental matrices by antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has become a growing threat to human health. For the quantitative analysis of the presence of ARGs, there is a need for sensitive and robust qPCR assays which can detect various genes from different types of DNA extracts. Fourteen ARGs were selected as target genes in this study including: blaTEM, blaOXA-1 and blaCTX-M coded for resistance to β-lactams; ermB for macrolides; tetA, tetG, tetM, tetQ, tetW and tetX for tetracyclines; sul I and sul II for sulfonamides; drfA1 and drfA12 d for trimethoprim; and integron gene intI 1 and intI 2. Chemically synthesized double-stranded gene fragments were modified using molecular biology methods and used as real-time PCR standards as well as to establish in-house qPCR assays. The ermB gene from a naturally occurring plasmid was used to compare the performance of qPCR assay with the chemically synthesized ermB. Additionally, environmental water, soil and faeces samples were used to validate the established qPCR assays. Importantly, the study proves the usefulness of rapidly synthesized oligonucleotides serving as qPCR standards for ARG analysis and provides comparable sensitivity and reliability to a traditional amplicon standard.
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Billones-Baaijens R, Úrbez-Torres JR, Liu M, Ayres M, Sosnowski M, Savocchia S. Molecular Methods to Detect and Quantify Botryosphaeriaceae Inocula Associated With Grapevine Dieback in Australia. PLANT DISEASE 2018; 102:1489-1499. [PMID: 30673411 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-11-17-1854-re] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Botryosphaeria dieback, caused by species of Botryosphaeriaceae, is an important grapevine trunk disease in Australia. Inocula produced by the pathogens are primarily dispersed by rain splash and wind and infect pruning wounds leading to cankers, dieback, and eventually death of vines. The objective of this study was to develop molecular tools to detect and quantify Botryosphaeriaceae inocula from the environment. These tools are essential for investigating spore dispersal patterns of Botryosphaeriaceae pathogens in Australian vineyards. DNA extraction protocols were evaluated and one modified protocol was found suitable for extracting Botryosphaeriaceae DNA from artificially and naturally inoculated Burkard volumetric spore sampler tapes. Multispecies primers and a hydrolysis probe for quantitative PCR (qPCR) were further developed to detect and quantify Botryosphaeriaceae inocula from environmental samples. Specificity tests showed that the multispecies primers were able to amplify the DNA of 10 Botryosphaeriaceae species (58 isolates) found in Australia while none of the 27 nontarget fungal species (90 isolates) tested were amplified. The qPCR assay was suitable for amplifying purified DNA, synthetic DNA fragments (gBlocks), and mixed DNA from spore trap tapes. The qPCR method developed in this study was shown to be rapid and sensitive in detecting Botryosphaeriaceae inocula from the environment using spore traps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Billones-Baaijens
- National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia
| | - José Ramón Úrbez-Torres
- Summerland Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Summerland, BC, Canada
| | - Meifang Liu
- National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia
| | - Matthew Ayres
- South Australian Research and Development Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Mark Sosnowski
- South Australian Research and Development Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia; and School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia
| | - Sandra Savocchia
- National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia
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Fischer K, Tkach VV, Curtis KC, Fischer PU. Ultrastructure and localization of Neorickettsia in adult digenean trematodes provides novel insights into helminth-endobacteria interaction. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:177. [PMID: 28407790 PMCID: PMC5390476 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2123-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Neorickettsia are a group of intracellular α proteobacteria transmitted by digeneans (Platyhelminthes, Trematoda). These endobacteria can also infect vertebrate hosts of the helminths and cause serious diseases in animals and humans. Neorickettsia have been isolated from infected animals and maintained in cell cultures, and their morphology in mammalian cells has been described. However, limited information is available on the morphology and localization of Neorickettsia in the trematode host. Methods We used a Neorickettsia-infected strain of the model trematode Plagiorchis elegans to infect Syrian Golden hamsters to produce adult worms. Ultrastructure of Neorickettsia was assessed by transmission electron microscopy of high pressure freezing/freeze substitution fixed specimens. A Neorickettsia surface protein from P. elegans (PeNsp-3) was cloned and antibodies against the recombinant protein were used to localize Neorickettsia by immunohistochemistry. Results Ultrastructural analysis revealed moderate numbers of pleomorphic endobacteria with a median size of 600 × 400 nm and characteristic double membranes in various tissue types. Endobacteria showed tubular membrane invaginations and secretion of polymorphic vesicles. Endobacteria were unevenly localized as single cells, or less frequently as small morula-like clusters in the ovary, Mehlis’ gland, vitelline follicles, uterus, intrauterine eggs, testis, cirrus-sac, tegument, intestine and the oral and ventral sucker. Examination of hamster small intestine infected with P. elegans showed many endobacteria at the host-parasite interface such as the oral and ventral sucker, the tegument and the excretory pore. Conclusions We conclude that adult P. elegans trematodes carry Neorickettsia endobacteria in varying numbers in many tissue types that support vertical transmission, trematode to trematode transmission via seminal fluid, and possibly horizontal transmission from trematodes to vertebrate hosts. These means appear to be novel mechanisms of pathogen transmission by endoparasitic worms. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2123-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Fischer
- Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Vasyl V Tkach
- Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, 58202-9019, USA
| | - Kurt C Curtis
- Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Peter U Fischer
- Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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