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Rae R, Sheehy L, McDonald-Howard K. Thirty years of slug control using the parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita and beyond. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:3408-3424. [PMID: 37394691 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Several slug species are highly pestiferous and threaten global sustainable agriculture. Current control methods rely heavily on metaldehyde pellets, which are often ineffective, harm nontarget organisms and have been banned in some countries. A viable alternative is the parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (and recently P. californica), which has been formulated into a biological control agent (Nemaslug®) to control slugs across northern Europe. Nematodes are mixed with water and applied to soil where they seek out slugs, penetrate behind the mantle and kill them in 4-21 days. Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita has been on the market since 1994 and since then there has been ample research on its use. Here we review the research carried out on P. hermaphrodita over the last 30 years since its development and release as a commercial product. We provide information on life cycle, worldwide distribution, history of commercialisation, gastropod immunity, host range, ecological and environmental factors that affect its success in the field, bacterial relationships, and summarise results of field trials. Finally, we suggest future directions for P. hermaphrodita research (and other Phasmarhabditis species) to enhance its use as a biological control agent to control slugs for the next 30 years. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robbie Rae
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Laura Sheehy
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Kerry McDonald-Howard
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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Sheehy L, Cutler J, Weedall GD, Rae R. Microbiome Analysis of Malacopathogenic Nematodes Suggests No Evidence of a Single Bacterial Symbiont Responsible for Gastropod Mortality. Front Immunol 2022; 13:878783. [PMID: 35515005 PMCID: PMC9065361 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.878783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nematodes and bacteria are prevalent in soil ecosystems, and some have evolved symbiotic relationships. In some cases, symbionts carry out highly specialized functions: a prime example being entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), which vector bacteria (Xenorhabdus or Photorhabdus) into insect hosts, killing them to provide a food source for the nematodes. It is thought that the commercially available malacopathogenic (kills slugs and snails) biocontrol nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita vectors a bacterium (Moraxella osloensis) into slugs to kill them. To investigate this further we used a metagenomic approach to profile the bacteria present in the commercial strain of P. hermaphrodita, a wild strain of P. hermaphrodita and two other Phasmarhabditis species (P. californica and P. neopapillosa), after they had killed their slug host (Deroceras invadens). We show that these nematodes do not exclusively associate with one bacterium but a range of species, with members of the phyla Pseudomonadota, Bacillota, Actinobacteriota and Bacteroidota the most prevalent. The commercial strain of P. hermaphrodita had the least diverse bacterial community. Furthermore, we found that the bacterium P. hermaphrodita has been cultured on for 25 years is not the expected species M. osloensis but is Psychrobacter spp. and the only strain of the Phasmarhabditis species to associate with Psychrobacter spp. was the commercial strain of P. hermaphrodita. In summary, we found no evidence to show that P. hermaphrodita rely exclusively on one bacterium to cause host mortality but found variable and diverse bacterial communities associated with these nematodes in their slug hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Sheehy
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - James Cutler
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Gareth D Weedall
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Robbie Rae
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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Loera-Muro A, Caamal-Chan MG, Castellanos T, Luna-Camargo A, Aguilar-Díaz T, Barraza A. Growth effects in oregano plants ( Origanum vulgare L.) assessment through inoculation of bacteria isolated from crop fields located on desert soils. Can J Microbiol 2020; 67:381-395. [PMID: 33136463 DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2020-0352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria can establish beneficial interactions with plants by acting as growth promoters and enhancing stress tolerance during plant interactions. Likewise, bacteria can develop multispecies communities where multiple interactions are possible. In this work, we assessed the physiological effects of three bacteria isolated from an arid environment (Bacillus niacini, Bacillus megaterium, and Moraxella osloensis) applied as single species or as a consortium on oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) plants. Moreover, we assessed the quorum-sensing (QS) signaling activity to determine the molecular communication between plant-growth-promoting bacteria. The plant inoculation with B. megaterium showed a positive effect on morphometric and physiologic parameters. However, no synergistic effects were observed when a bacterial consortium was inoculated. Likewise, activation of QS signaling in biofilm assays was observed only for interspecies interaction within the Bacillus genus, not for either interaction with M. osloensis. These results suggest a neutral or antagonistic interaction for interspecific bacterial biofilm establishment, as well as for the interaction with oregano plants when bacteria were inoculated in a consortium. In conclusion, we were able to determine that the bacterial interactions are not always positive or synergistic, but they also might be neutral or antagonistic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham Loera-Muro
- CONACYT - Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C., Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 195 Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, C.P. 23096, México
| | - María Goretty Caamal-Chan
- CONACYT - Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C., Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 195 Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, C.P. 23096, México
| | - Thelma Castellanos
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C., Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 195 Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, C.P. 23096, Mexico
| | - Angélica Luna-Camargo
- Instituto Tecnológico de La Paz, 4720 Boulevard Forjadores de Baja California Sur, 8 de Octubre 2da Secc, La Paz, Baja California Sur, C.P. 23080, Mexico
| | - Trinidad Aguilar-Díaz
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C., Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 195 Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, C.P. 23096, Mexico
| | - Aarón Barraza
- CONACYT - Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C., Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 195 Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, C.P. 23096, México
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Burmann BM, Holdbrook DA, Callon M, Bond PJ, Hiller S. Revisiting the interaction between the chaperone Skp and lipopolysaccharide. Biophys J 2016; 108:1516-1526. [PMID: 25809264 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2014] [Revised: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial outer membrane comprises two main classes of components, lipids and membrane proteins. These nonsoluble compounds are conveyed across the aqueous periplasm along specific molecular transport routes: the lipid lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is shuttled by the Lpt system, whereas outer membrane proteins (Omps) are transported by chaperones, including the periplasmic Skp. In this study, we revisit the specificity of the chaperone-lipid interaction of Skp and LPS. High-resolution NMR spectroscopy measurements indicate that LPS interacts with Skp nonspecifically, accompanied by destabilization of the Skp trimer and similar to denaturation by the nonnatural detergent lauryldimethylamine-N-oxide (LDAO). Bioinformatic analysis of amino acid conservation, structural analysis of LPS-binding proteins, and MD simulations further confirm the absence of a specific LPS binding site on Skp, making a biological relevance of the interaction unlikely. Instead, our analysis reveals a highly conserved salt-bridge network, which likely has a role for Skp function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Peter J Bond
- Bioinformatics Institute (A(∗)STAR), Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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Biological warfare: Microorganisms as drivers of host-parasite interactions. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2015; 34:251-9. [PMID: 26026593 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2015.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Revised: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding parasite strategies for evasion, manipulation or exploitation of hosts is crucial for many fields, from ecology to medical sciences. Generally, research has focused on either the host response to parasitic infection, or the parasite virulence mechanisms. More recently, integrated studies of host-parasite interactions have allowed significant advances in theoretical and applied biology. However, these studies still provide a simplistic view of these as mere two-player interactions. Host and parasite are associated with a myriad of microorganisms that could benefit from the improved fitness of their partner. Illustrations of such complex multi-player interactions have emerged recently from studies performed in various taxa. In this conceptual article, we propose how these associated microorganisms may participate in the phenotypic alterations induced by parasites and hence in host-parasite interactions, from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. Host- and parasite-associated microorganisms may participate in the host-parasite interaction by interacting directly or indirectly with the other partner. As a result, parasites may develop (i) the disruptive strategy in which the parasite alters the host microbiota to its advantage, and (ii) the biological weapon strategy where the parasite-associated microorganism contributes to or modulates the parasite's virulence. Some phenotypic alterations induced by parasite may also arise from conflicts of interests between the host or parasite and its associated microorganism. For each situation, we review the literature and propose new directions for future research. Specifically, investigating the role of host- and parasite-associated microorganisms in host-parasite interactions at the individual, local and regional level will lead to a holistic understanding of how the co-evolution of the different partners influences how the other ones respond, both ecologically and evolutionary. The conceptual framework we propose here is important and relevant to understand the proximate basis of parasite strategies, to predict their evolutionary dynamics and potentially to prevent therapeutic failures.
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Rodríguez-Segura Z, Chen J, Villalobos FJ, Gill S, Nuñez-Valdez ME. The lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis core of the Mexican pathogenic strain Serratia entomophila is associated with toxicity to larvae of Phyllophaga blanchardi. J Invertebr Pathol 2012; 110:24-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2012.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2011] [Revised: 12/03/2011] [Accepted: 01/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Rae R, Verdun C, Grewal PS, Robertson JF, Wilson MJ. Biological control of terrestrial molluscs using Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita--progress and prospects. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2007; 63:1153-64. [PMID: 17912686 DOI: 10.1002/ps.1424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita Schneider (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) is a nematode that parasitises a wide range of slug and snail species. It has been formulated into a biological control agent (Nemaslug) and was commercialised in 1994. It is now available in fourteen European countries. A review is given of all research on P. hermaphrodita, including basic biology, mass cultivation, formulation, host range, application strategies, field efficacy and effects on non-target organisms. The many critical gaps in present knowledge are highlighted, and future research is proposed that will lead to greater understanding of this unusual parasite and may enable its more widespread use in the management of mollusc pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robbie Rae
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Spemannstrasse 35, Tuebingen, Germany.
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