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Thumsová B, Alarcos G, Ayres C, Rosa GM, Bosch J. Relationship between two pathogens in an amphibian community that experienced mass mortalities. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024; 38:e14196. [PMID: 37811718 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Because host species tend to harbor multiple parasitic species, coinfection in a host is common. The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and the viruses in the genus Ranavirus (Rv) are responsible for the decline of amphibians worldwide. Despite wide geographical co-occurrence and the serious conservation problem that coinfection with these pathogens could represent, little is known about their possible synergistic interactions and effects in a host community. We investigated the occurrence and associations between these two pathogens in an amphibian community after Rv-driven disease outbreaks were detected in four populations of the Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl) in northwestern Spain. We collected tissue samples from amphibians and fish and estimated Bd and Rv infection loads by qPCR. A few months after the most recent mass mortality event, Rv infection parameters at the affected sites decreased significantly or were lower than such registered at the sites where no outbreaks were recorded. Both pathogens were simultaneously present in almost all sites, but coinfection in a single host was rare. Our findings suggest that the co-occurrence of Bd and Rv does not predict adverse outcomes (e.g., enhanced susceptibility of hosts to one pathogen due to the presence or infection intensity of the other) following an outbreak. Other variables (such as species identity or site) were more important than infection with a pathogen in predicting the infection status and severity of infection with the other pathogen. Our results highlight the importance of host-specific and environmental characteristics in the dynamics of infections, coinfection patterns, and their impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Thumsová
- Asociación Herpetológica Española (AHE), Madrid, Spain
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- IMIB-Research Unit of Biodiversity (University of Oviedo, CSIC, Principality of Asturias), Mieres, Spain
| | | | - Cesar Ayres
- Asociación Herpetológica Española (AHE), Madrid, Spain
| | - Gonçalo M Rosa
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jaime Bosch
- IMIB-Research Unit of Biodiversity (University of Oviedo, CSIC, Principality of Asturias), Mieres, Spain
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Poonlaphdecha S, Ribas A, Martínez-Silvestre A, Villa M. New Data on the Larval Stages of Leptophallus nigrovenosus (Digenea, Plagiorchiata). Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1154. [PMID: 38672302 PMCID: PMC11047363 DOI: 10.3390/ani14081154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Leptophallus nigrovenosus, an esophageal parasite that primarily affects water snakes of the genus Natrix, has a known life cycle that involves snail and amphibian hosts. However, the biological aspects, chaetotaxic patterns, and pathogeny of this parasite in its hosts have not been fully elucidated. (2) Methods: Snails (Planorbarius metidjensis) were collected in Spain and examined for cercaria emergence. The larvae were used to experimentally infect Salamandra salamandra, and metacercariae were isolated. Their chaetotaxy was studied using microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The eye histology was also examined. (3) Results: The cercariae displayed distinctive morphological characteristics. The results of this study revealed three types of ciliated sensory papillae on the cercarial teguments, suggesting an adaptation for host detection and orientation. The metacercariae isolated from subcutaneous tissues showed oval bodies covered in spines. The chaetotaxy patterns matched those of Leptophallinae species. This is the first report of the presence of L. nigrovenosus in the snail P. metidjensis. Additionally, this study detected metacercariae in the eyes of S. salamandra, emphasizing the need for further research on trematode infections in amphibian eyes. (4) Conclusions: Members of the genus Salamandra can serve as secondary intermediate hosts for L. nigrovenosus, and the presence of metacercariae in amphibian eyes may have implications for the survival and habitat management of these amphibians. Understanding this parasite's prevalence, transmission dynamics, and impacts on host populations is crucial for conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srisupaph Poonlaphdecha
- Parasitology Section, Department of Biology, Healthcare and Environment, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (S.P.); (M.V.)
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alexis Ribas
- Parasitology Section, Department of Biology, Healthcare and Environment, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (S.P.); (M.V.)
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Mercedes Villa
- Parasitology Section, Department of Biology, Healthcare and Environment, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (S.P.); (M.V.)
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Santos BS, Marques MP, Ceríaco LMP. Lack of country-wide systematic herpetology collections in Portugal jeopardizes future research and conservation. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2024; 96:e20230622. [PMID: 38451598 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202420230622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural History Collections (NHCs) represent the world's largest repositories of long-term biodiversity datasets. Specimen collection and voucher deposition has been the backbone of NHCs since their inception, but recent decades have seen a drastic decline in rates of growth via active collecting. Amphibians and reptiles are amongst the most threatened zoological groups on the planet and are historically underrepresented in most worldwide NHCs. As part of an ongoing project to review the Portuguese zoological collections in the country's NHCs, herpetological data from its three major museums and smaller collections was gathered and used to examine the coverage and representation of the different taxa extant in Portugal. These collections are not taxonomically, geographically, or temporally complete. Approximately 90% of the Portuguese herpetological taxa are represented in the country's NHCs, and around half of the taxa are represented by less than 50 specimens. Geographically, the collections cover less than 30% of the country's territory and almost all of the occurring taxa have less than 10% of their known distribution represented in the collections. A discussion on the implications for science of such incomplete collections and a review of the current status of Portuguese NHCs is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna S Santos
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Rua do Campo Alegre 1021, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Mariana P Marques
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Rua do Campo Alegre 1021, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, U.S.A
| | - Luis M P Ceríaco
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, U.S.A
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional, Quinta da Boavista, São Cristóvão, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia (Museu Bocage), Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, 1269-102 Lisboa, Portugal
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Hartmann AM, McGrath-Blaser SE, Colón-Piñeiro Z, Longo AV. Ontogeny drives shifts in skin bacterial communities in facultatively paedomorphic salamanders. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001399. [PMID: 37815535 PMCID: PMC10634365 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001399] [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: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Microbiomes are major determinants of host growth, development and survival. In amphibians, host-associated bacteria in the skin can inhibit pathogen infection, but many processes can influence the structure and composition of the community. Here we quantified the shifts in skin-associated bacteria across developmental stages in the striped newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus), a threatened salamander species with a complex life history and vulnerable to infection by the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and ranavirus. Our analyses show that pre-metamorphic larval and paedomorphic stages share similar bacterial compositions, and that the changes in the microbiome coincided with physiological restructuring during metamorphosis. Newts undergoing metamorphosis exhibited microbiome compositions that were intermediate between paedomorphic and post-metamorphic stages, further supporting the idea that metamorphosis is a major driver of host-associated microbes in amphibians. We did not find support for infection-related disruption of the microbiome, though infection replicates were small for each respective life stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arik M. Hartmann
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | | | | | - Ana V. Longo
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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