Diversity and distribution of Aphanomyces astaci in a European hotspot of ornamental crayfish introductions

Ornamental trade has become an important introduction pathway of non-native aquatic species worldwide. Correspondingly, there has been an alarming increase in the number of established crayfish of aquarium origin in Europe over the previous decade. The oomycete Aphanomyces astaci, the pathogen causing crayfish plague responsible for serious declines of European crayfish populations, is dispersed with introduced North American crayfish. The role of ornamental taxa in introducing and spreading different genotypes of this pathogen in open waters remains unclear. We investigated the distribution, prevalence, and diversity of A. astaci in Budapest, Hungary, which became a hotspot of aquarium crayfish introductions. Their establishment in this area was facilitated by locally abundant thermal waters. We screened for A. astaci in six host taxa from 18 sites sampled between 2018 and 2021: five cambarids (Cambarellus patzcuarensis, Faxonius limosus, Procambarus alleni, P. clarkii, P. virginalis) and one native astacid (Pontastacus leptodactylus). The pathogen was confirmed at five sampled sites in four host taxa: P. virginalis, P. clarkii, F. limosus, and for the first time in European open waters also in P. alleni. Genotyping was successful only in individuals from two different brooks where multiple host species coexisted but revealed unexpected patterns. Mitochondrial B-haplogroup of A. astaci, previously usually reported from Pacifastacus leniusculus or infected European species, was detected in P. virginalis at both sites, and in both F. limosus and P. virginalis sampled from a thermally stable tributary of Barát brook in 2018. In contrast, A-haplogroup of A. astaci was detected in coexisting F. limosus, P. virginalis and P. clarkii sampled in the same watercourse just a few hundred meters downstream in 2020. Additional genotyping methods indicated that a previously unknown A. astaci strain was associated with the latter haplogroup. One P. virginalis individual from 2020 was apparently co-infected by strains representing both mitochondrial haplogroups. The results indicated multiple sources of A. astaci in Budapest, likely directly associated with the introduction of ornamental species, interspecific transmission of this pathogen among ornamental hosts, and potential for a quick spatial or temporal turnover of dominant A. astaci strains at a certain locality. This highlights that in regions with high richness of potential A. astaci hosts, host taxon/pathogen genotype combinations become unpredictable, which might prevent reliable genotyping of pathogen sources in local crayfish mass mortalities.

Interspecific spread of dsRNA mycoviruses in entomogenous fungi Beauveria spp

Mycoviruses can spread interspecifically and intraspecifically in plant pathogenic fungi, as well as spreading intraspecifically in entomogenous fungi, especially Beauveria bassiana. However, whether mycoviruses are common in Beauveria spp. and can spread interspecifically between Beauveria species are unclear. Herein, four Beauveria species, but not B. bassiana, were randomly selected for double stranded RNA (dsRNA) detection. Furthermore, two previously reported dsRNA mycoviruses from B. bassiana, BbCV-2 and BbPmV-4, were used to study the interspecific transmission among B. bassiana, B. amorpha, and B. aranearum, using hyphal anastomosis and a novel insect coinfection transmission method. The results showed that dsRNA mycoviruses exist universally in Beauveria spp. and could spread interspecifically between different Beauveria species. The transmission efficiency from B. bassiana to the other two Beauveria species was significantly higher than that of the reverse transmission. Both viruses could stably and vertically spread in B. amorpha and B. aranearum, which affected their growth rate and colony morphology.

Mixed-host aggregations and helminth parasite sharing in an East African wildlife-livestock system

Parasitic infections transmitted between livestock and wildlife pose a significant risk to wildlife conservation efforts and constrain livestock productivity in tropical regions of the world. Gastrointestinal helminths are among the most ubiquitous parasites, and many parasites within this taxon can readily infect a wide range of host species. Factors shaping bidirectional transmission of parasites in wildlife-livestock systems are understudied. In this study, we investigate the prevalence and diversity of helminth infections in an East African community of wild and domestic ungulates. We also identify pairs of host species between which transmission may be possible based on shared parasite taxa, and explore the role of multi-host aggregations in shaping patterns of parasite sharing. Helminth taxa detected included Trichostrongylus, Trichuris, Paramphistomum, Skrjabinema, Strongyloides, Strongylus spp., and other strongyle-type nematodes. We found that nearly 50% of individuals harbored at least one species of helminth, but certain species, such as zebra and impala, exhibited higher prevalence than others. High canopy feeders, like giraffe, had lower prevalence than hosts feeding at medium and low foraging heights. For helminths, patterns of parasite sharing likely emerge from shared space use, which is mediated in part by mixed-species aggregations. The frequency with which host species associated together in mixed-species aggregations was positively correlated with the number of parasite taxa shared. We suggest that variation among species in their tendency to form mixed-species aggregations creates heterogeneity in transmission opportunities, and consequently, parasite sharing across ungulate species. These results enhance our understanding of the role of spatiotemporal relationships among host species in shaping parasite communities in mixed wildlife-livestock grazing systems.