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Fischer NM, Altewischer A, Ranpal S, Dool S, Kerth G, Puechmaille SJ. Population genetics as a tool to elucidate pathogen reservoirs: Lessons from Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of White-Nose disease in bats. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:675-690. [PMID: 34704285 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases pose a major threat to human, animal, and plant health. The risk of species-extinctions increases when pathogens can survive in the absence of the host. Environmental reservoirs can facilitate this. However, identifying such reservoirs and modes of infection is often highly challenging. In this study, we investigated the presence and nature of an environmental reservoir for the ascomycete fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of White-Nose disease. Using 18 microsatellite markers, we determined the genotypic differentiation between 1497 P. destructans isolates collected from nine closely situated underground sites where bats hibernate (i.e., hibernacula) in Northeastern Germany. This approach was unique in that it ensured that every isolate and resulting multilocus genotype was not only present, but also viable and therefore theoretically capable of infecting a bat. The distinct distribution of multilocus genotypes across hibernacula demonstrates that each hibernaculum has an essentially unique fungal population. This would be expected if bats become infected in their hibernaculum (i.e., the site they spend winter in to hibernate) rather than in other sites visited before they start hibernating. In one hibernaculum, both the walls and the hibernating bats were sampled at regular intervals over five consecutive winter seasons (1062 isolates), revealing higher genotypic richness on walls compared to bats and a stable frequency of multilocus genotypes over multiple winters. This clearly implicates hibernacula walls as the main environmental reservoir of the pathogen, from which bats become reinfected annually during the autumn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola M Fischer
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution Montpellier (ISEM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Andrea Altewischer
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Surendra Ranpal
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Serena Dool
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Institut Agro, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Gerald Kerth
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Sebastien J Puechmaille
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution Montpellier (ISEM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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Rupprecht T, Moter A, Wiessener A, Reutershan J, Lang-Schwarz K, Vieth M, Rupprecht C, Wagner R, Bollinger T. Spread of Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria by Moth Flies from Hospital Waste Water System. Emerg Infect Dis 2021; 26:1893-1898. [PMID: 32687034 PMCID: PMC7392454 DOI: 10.3201/eid2608.190750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We documented and analyzed moth fly occurrence and spread of multidrug-resistant
bacteria in a tertiary care hospital in Germany. The moth flies (Clogmia
albipunctata) bred in the sewage system, then moved into the
hospital, carrying biofilm and multidrug-resistant bacteria on their feet.
Subsequently, the hospital developed a pest control protocol.
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Murphy ARJ, Travis ER, Hibberd V, Porter D, Wellington EMH. Evaluation of a Fecal Shedding Test To Detect Badger Social Groups Infected with Mycobacterium bovis. J Clin Microbiol 2020; 59:e01226-20. [PMID: 33055185 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.01226-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is an economically important disease affecting the cattle industry in England and Wales. bTB, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, also causes disease in the Eurasian badger (Meles meles), a secondary maintenance host. Disease transmission between these two species is bidirectional. Infected badgers shed M. bovis in their feces. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) of the United Kingdom organized a comparative trial to determine the performance of tests in detecting M. bovis in badger feces for the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Here, we assessed the performance of the existing Warwick Fast24-qPCR test and its modified version based on a high-throughput DNA extraction method (Fast96-qPCR). We found Fast24-qPCR to have a sensitivity of 96.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 94.5 to 99%; n = 244) and a specificity of 99% (95% CI, 97.8 to 100%; n = 292). Fast96-qPCR requires further optimization. Determining the disease status of badger social groups requires multiple tests per group. Therefore, to increase specificity further, we independently repeated the Fast24-qPCR test on positive samples, increasing stringency by requiring a second positive result. Fast24-qPCR with repeat testing had a sensitivity of 87.3% (95% CI, 83.1 to 91.5%; n = 244), and a specificity of 100% (95% CI, 100 to 100; n = 201) on an individual-sample level. At the social-group level, this repeat testing gives Fast24-qPCR high herd specificity, while testing multiple samples per group provides high herd sensitivity. With Fast24-qPCR, we provide a social-group-level test with sufficient specificity and sensitivity to monitor shedding in badgers via latrine sampling, delivering a potentially valuable tool to measure the impacts of bTB control measures.
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Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases rank among the most important threats to human and wildlife health. A comprehensive understanding of the mode of infection and presence of potential reservoirs is critical for the development of effective counter strategies. Fungal pathogens can remain viable in environmental reservoirs for extended periods of time before infecting susceptible individuals. This may be the case for Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the causative agent of bat white-nose disease. Owing to its cold-loving nature, this fungal pathogen only grows on bats during hibernation, when their body temperature is reduced. Bats only spend part of their life cycle in hibernation and do not typically show signs of infection in summer, raising the question of whether Pd remains viable in hibernacula during this period (roughly six months). If so, this could facilitate the re-infection of bats when they return to the sites the following winter. In a laboratory experiment, we determined the germination rate of Pd spores kept under constant conditions on a wall-like substrate, over the course of two years. Results showed that the seasonal pattern in Pd germination mirrored the life cycle of the bats, with an increased germination rate at times when hibernating bats would naturally be present and lower germination rates during their absence. We suggest that Pd is dependent on the presence of hibernating bats and has therefore coupled its germination rate to host availability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Pd spores survive extended periods of host absence and can remain viable for at least two years. There is, however, a strong decrease in spore viability between the first and second years (98%). Pd viability for at least two years on a solid mineral-based substrate establishes the potential for environmental reservoirs in hibernacula walls and has strong implications for the efficacy of certain management strategies (e.g. bat culling).
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola M Fischer
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany.,Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution Montpellier (ISEM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Serena E Dool
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Sebastien J Puechmaille
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany.,Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution Montpellier (ISEM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France
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Kudo Y, Vansith K, Rin E, Uchida K, Kodama S, Fukui T, Masuda S, Masuzawa T. Molecular Epidemiological Survey of Leptospira Infection of Wild Rodents in the Urban Settlement of Cambodia. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2018; 18:144-150. [PMID: 29494314 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2017.2198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Leptospirosis remains a major public health threat in Cambodia. In this study, we aimed at facilitating the development of preventive strategies against leptospirosis in Cambodia by conducting molecular epidemiological surveys of Leptospira infection among wild rodents. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred sixty-three wild rodents were captured in the capital Phnom Penh and surrounding areas, and their kidneys and bladders were collected for analysis. Identification of wild rodent species was determined by using the cytochrome c oxidase I gene. TaqMan PCR of the flagellin B gene (flaB) was performed to detect Leptospira, and species of the isolates were identified by flaB sequencing analysis. RESULTS The species and respective number of rodents collected were as follows: Rattus norvegicus, 80 (49.1%); Rattus argentiventer, 53 (32.5%); Rattus exulans, 6 (3.7%); Rattus indica, 15 (9.2%); Maxomys surifer, 3 (1.8%); and Rattus sp., 6 (3.7%). Leptospira was detected in 20 out of the 163 rodents (12.3%) and was categorized as either Leptospira interrogans or Leptospira noguchii. R. norvegicus had the highest prevalence of Leptospira (17.5%), and R. argentiventer and Rattus sp. showed infection rates of 9.4% and 16.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Based on these results, wild rodents living in urban areas of Cambodia were found to be important reservoirs of highly virulent Leptospira. The flaB sequence results of our study provided information regarding the prevalence of Leptospira species, which was dependent on the rodent species. This study is the first study on leptospirosis in wild rodents in the urban areas of Cambodia, where there is limited information on leptospirosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiko Kudo
- 1 Department of Pharmacology, Showa University School of Medicine , Tokyo, Japan .,2 Department of Medical Science Technology, School of Health Science, International University of Health and Welfare , Chiba, Japan
| | - Ket Vansith
- 3 Department of Pharmacy, National University of Health Science of Cambodia , Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - En Rin
- 4 Department of Clinical Laboratory, National Pediatric Hospital , Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Kohdai Uchida
- 5 Department of Medical Risk and Crisis Management, Faculty of Risk and Crisis Management, Chiba Institute of Science , Chiba, Japan
| | - Sumika Kodama
- 5 Department of Medical Risk and Crisis Management, Faculty of Risk and Crisis Management, Chiba Institute of Science , Chiba, Japan
| | - Takashi Fukui
- 6 Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiba Institute of Science , Chiba, Japan
| | - Sho Masuda
- 6 Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiba Institute of Science , Chiba, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Masuzawa
- 6 Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiba Institute of Science , Chiba, Japan
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Markman DW, Antolin MF, Bowen RA, Wheat WH, Woods M, Gonzalez-Juarrero M, Jackson M. Yersinia pestis Survival and Replication in Potential Ameba Reservoir. Emerg Infect Dis 2018; 24:294-302. [PMID: 29350155 PMCID: PMC5782900 DOI: 10.3201/eid2402.171065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Plague ecology is characterized by sporadic epizootics, then periods of dormancy. Building evidence suggests environmentally ubiquitous amebae act as feral macrophages and hosts to many intracellular pathogens. We conducted environmental genetic surveys and laboratory co-culture infection experiments to assess whether plague bacteria were resistant to digestion by 5 environmental ameba species. First, we demonstrated that Yersinia pestis is resistant or transiently resistant to various ameba species. Second, we showed that Y. pestis survives and replicates intracellularly within Dictyostelium discoideum amebae for ˃48 hours postinfection, whereas control bacteria were destroyed in <1 hour. Finally, we found that Y. pestis resides within ameba structures synonymous with those found in infected human macrophages, for which Y. pestis is a competent pathogen. Evidence supporting amebae as potential plague reservoirs stresses the importance of recognizing pathogen-harboring amebae as threats to public health, agriculture, conservation, and biodefense.
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Grant DM, Dagleish MP, Bachofen C, Boag B, Deane D, Percival A, Zadoks RN, Russell GC. Assessment of the rabbit as a wildlife reservoir of bovine viral diarrhea virus: serological analysis and generation of trans-placentally infected offspring. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1000. [PMID: 26441927 PMCID: PMC4585287 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Eradication of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is ongoing in many European countries and is based on removal of persistently infected (PI) cattle. In this context, low-level risks, including alternative reservoirs of infection, may become more important as the number of BVDV-free herds increases. Alternative reservoirs include livestock, such as sheep and goats, as well as wildlife, including deer and rabbits. Due to the extensive nature of the beef industry in Scotland, where an eradication program started in 2010, contact between cattle and alternative reservoir hosts is common. Seroprevalence to BVDV in rabbit populations can be high. In addition, rabbits can be infected with BVDV by natural routes, indicating that they could be a wildlife reservoir of infection. We analyzed the potential risk to livestock from rabbit populations in the UK by two approaches. First, ∼260 serum samples from free-ranging wild rabbits in Scotland and northern England were tested for BVDV-specific antibodies by ELISA. Only three samples exhibited low level BVDV-specific reactivity, suggesting that BVDV infection of rabbits was not frequent. Second, rabbits were challenged with BVDV at day 7 or 12 of pregnancy. This did not lead to any clinical signs in the infected animals or obvious increases in abortion or stillbirth in the infected dams. Samples from the dams, placental material and ∼130 offspring were tested by BVDV-specific RT-PCR and antibody ELISA. Positive PCR results in the placentas and in the tissues and body fluids of rabbits up to 10 days old showed that trans-placental infection of rabbits with BVDV had occurred. Many of the offspring had BVDV-specific antibodies. These data support the view that a wildlife reservoir of BVDV in rabbit poses a small but non-zero risk of re-infection for BVDV-free cattle herds. Rabbits are susceptible to infection with BVDV but only a small proportion of free-living rabbits in the UK appear to have been infected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawn M Grant
- Vaccines and Diagnostics, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park Midlothian, UK
| | - Mark P Dagleish
- Vaccines and Diagnostics, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park Midlothian, UK
| | - Claudia Bachofen
- Vaccines and Diagnostics, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park Midlothian, UK
| | | | - David Deane
- Vaccines and Diagnostics, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park Midlothian, UK
| | - Ann Percival
- Vaccines and Diagnostics, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park Midlothian, UK
| | - Ruth N Zadoks
- Vaccines and Diagnostics, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park Midlothian, UK ; Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow Glasgow, UK
| | - George C Russell
- Vaccines and Diagnostics, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park Midlothian, UK
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurabh Jha
- Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
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Hanif AW, Dyson WD, Bowers HA, Pitula JS, Messick GA, Jagus R, Schott EJ. Variation in spatial and temporal incidence of the crustacean pathogen Hematodinium perezi in environmental samples from Atlantic Coastal Bays. Aquat Biosyst 2013; 9:11. [PMID: 23641869 PMCID: PMC3651331 DOI: 10.1186/2046-9063-9-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 04/23/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hematodinium perezi, a parasitic dinoflagellate, infects and kills blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. The parasite proliferates within host hemolymph and tissues, and also produces free-swimming biflagellated dinospores that emerge from infected crabs. Infections in C. sapidus recur annually, and it is not known if biotic or environmental reservoirs contribute to reinfection and outbreaks. To address this data gap, a quantitative PCR assay based on the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of H. perezi rRNA genes was developed to asses the temporal and spatial incidence of the parasite in Delaware and Maryland coastal bays. RESULTS A previously-used PCR assay for H. perezi, based on the small subunit rRNA gene sequence, was found to lack adequate species specificity to discriminate non-Hematodinium sp. dinoflagellate species in environmental samples. A new ITS2-targeted assay was developed and validated to detect H. perezi DNA in sediment and water samples using E. coli carrying the H. perezi rDNA genes. Application of the method to environmental samples identified potential hotspots in sediment in Indian River Inlet, DE and Chincoteague Bay, MD and VA. H. perezi DNA was not detected in co-occurring shrimp or snails, even during an outbreak of the parasite in C. sapidus. CONCLUSIONS H. perezi is present in water and sediment samples in Maryland and Delaware coastal bays from April through November with a wide spatial and temporal variability in incidence. Sampling sites with high levels of H. perezi DNA in both bays share characteristics of silty, organic sediments and low tidal currents. The environmental detection of H. perezi in spring, ahead of peak prevalence in crabs, points to gaps in our understanding of the parasite's life history prior to infection in crabs as well as the mode of environmental transmission. To better understand the H. perezi life cycle will require further monitoring of the parasite in habitats as well as hosts. Improved understanding of potential environmental transmission to crabs will facilitate the development of disease forecasting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammar W Hanif
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA
| | - Whitney D Dyson
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD, 21853, USA
| | - Holly A Bowers
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, 95039, USA
| | - Joseph S Pitula
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD, 21853, USA
| | - Gretchen A Messick
- Cooperative Oxford Laboratory, Center for Coastal Environmental Health & Biomolecular Research, USDOC/NOAA/NOS/NCCOS, Oxford, MD, 21654, USA
| | - Rosemary Jagus
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA
| | - Eric J Schott
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA
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