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Strauss AT, Suh DC, Galbraith K, Coker SM, Schroeder K, Brandon C, Warburton EM, Yabsley MJ, Cleveland CA. Mysterious microsporidians: springtime outbreaks of disease in Daphnia communities in shallow pond ecosystems. Oecologia 2024; 204:303-314. [PMID: 37470872 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05421-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Parasites can play key roles in ecosystems, especially when they infect common hosts that play important ecological roles. Daphnia are critical grazers in many lentic freshwater ecosystems and typically reach peak densities in early spring. Daphnia have also become prominent model host organisms for the field of disease ecology, although most well-studied parasites infect them in summer or fall. Here, we report field patterns of virulent microsporidian parasites that consistently infect Daphnia in springtime, in a set of seven shallow ponds in Georgia, USA, sampled every 3-4 weeks for 18 months. We detected two distinct parasite taxa, closely matching sequences of Pseudoberwaldia daphniae and Conglomerata obtusa, both infecting all three resident species of Daphnia: D. ambigua, D. laevis, and D. parvula. To our knowledge, neither parasite has been previously reported in any of these host species or anywhere in North America. Infection prevalence peaked consistently in February-May, but the severity of these outbreaks differed substantially among ponds. Moreover, host species differed markedly in terms of their maximum infection prevalence (5% [D. parvula] to 72% [D. laevis]), mean reduction of fecundity when infected (70.6% [D. ambigua] to 99.8% [D. laevis]), mean spore yield (62,000 [D. parvula] to 377,000 [D. laevis] per host), and likelihood of being infected by each parasite. The timing and severity of the outbreaks suggests that these parasites could be impactful members of these shallow freshwater ecosystems, and that the strength of their effects is likely to hinge on the composition of ponds' zooplankton communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Strauss
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
- River Basin Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
| | - Daniel C Suh
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Kate Galbraith
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Sarah M Coker
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Katie Schroeder
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth M Warburton
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Michael J Yabsley
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Christopher A Cleveland
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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Weng M, Zhang X, Xin Z, Xue S, Zhang Q, Li A, Zhang J. Morphological characterization and genetic diversity of a new microsporidium, Neoflabelliforma dubium n. sp. from the adipose tissue of Diaphanosoma dubium (Crustacea: Sididae). Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1125394. [PMID: 36779184 PMCID: PMC9911548 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1125394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
We reported a new microsporidium Neoflabelliforma dubium n. sp. from the adipose tissue of Diaphanosoma dubium in China. The infected daphnids generally appeared opaque due to the presence of numerous spore aggregates located in the adipose tissue. All developmental stages were in direct contact with the host cell cytoplasm. Multinucleate sporogonial plasmodia developed into uninucleate sporoblasts by rosette-like fashion. Mature spores were pyriform and monokaryotic, measuring 4.02 ± 0.24 (3.63-4.53) µm long and 2.27 ± 0.15 (2.12-2.57) µm wide (N = 40). The polaroplast was bipartite with a tightly packed anterior lamellae and a loosely aligned posterior lamellae. Isofilar polar filament was coiled 9-11 turns and arranged in 2-3 rows. The phylogenetic analysis based on the obtained SSU rDNA sequence indicated that the N. dubium n. sp. clustered with the freshwater oligochaete-infecting N. aurantiae to form an independent monophyletic group, positioned at the base of Clade 4. In addition, we analyzed the genetic diversity in three N. dubium n. sp. isolates based on the rDNA (SSU rDNA, ITS and LSU rDNA) and Rpb1 gene. The genetic variation among the rDNA sequences was not distinct, however, high nucleotide diversity could be observed in Rpb1 gene, and a wide variety of Rpb1 haplotypes were identified within each isolate. Genetic recombination detected in the Rpb1 sequences presumes cryptic sexual process occurring in N. dubium n. sp. Statistical evolutionary analyses further indicated that the purifying selection eliminated mutations in the Rpb1 gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiqi Weng
- The Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xintong Zhang
- The Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Zhaozhe Xin
- The Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Sijia Xue
- The Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qianqian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Aihua Li
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Jinyong Zhang
- The Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, Shandong, China
- *Correspondence: Jinyong Zhang,
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Calabon MS, Hyde KD, Jones EBG, Luo ZL, Dong W, Hurdeal VG, Gentekaki E, Rossi W, Leonardi M, Thiyagaraja V, Lestari AS, Shen HW, Bao DF, Boonyuen N, Zeng M. Freshwater fungal numbers. FUNGAL DIVERS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13225-022-00503-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Abstract
Around 57.1% of microsporidia occupy aquatic environments, excluding a further 25.7% that utilise both terrestrial and aquatic systems. The aquatic microsporidia therefore compose the most diverse elements of the Microsporidia phylum, boasting unique structural features, variable transmission pathways, and significant ecological influence. From deep oceans to tropical rivers, these parasites are present in most aquatic environments and have been shown to infect hosts from across the Protozoa and Animalia. The consequences of infection range from mortality to intricate behavioural change, and their presence in aquatic communities often alters the overall functioning of the ecosystem.In this chapter, we explore aquatic microsporidian diversity from the perspective of aquatic animal health. Examples of microsporidian parasitism of importance to an aquacultural ('One Health') context and ecosystem context are focussed upon. These include infection of commercially important penaeid shrimp by Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei and interesting hyperparasitic microsporidians of wild host groups.Out of ~1500 suggested microsporidian species, 202 have been adequately taxonomically described using a combination of ultrastructural and genetic techniques from aquatic and semi-aquatic hosts. These species are our primary focus, and we suggest that the remaining diversity have additional genetic or morphological data collected to formalise their underlying systematics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Bojko
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK.
- National Horizons Centre, Teesside University, Darlington, UK.
| | - Grant D Stentiford
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Weymouth, Dorset, UK
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Park E, Poulin R. Revisiting the phylogeny of microsporidia. Int J Parasitol 2021; 51:855-864. [PMID: 33891934 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2021.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Canonical microsporidians are a group of obligate intracellular parasites of a wide range of hosts comprising ~1,300 species of >220 genera. Microsporidians are related to fungi, and many characterised and uncharacterized groups closely related to them have been discovered recently, filling the knowledge gaps between them. These groups assigned to the superphylum Opisthosporidia have provided several important insights into the evolution of diverse intracellular parasitic lineages within the tree of eukaryotes. The most studied among opisthosporidians, canonical microsporidians, were known to science more than 160 years ago, however, the classification of canonical Microsporidia has been challenging due to common morphological homoplasy, and accelerated evolutionary rates. Instead of morphological characters, ssrRNA sequences have been used as the primary data for the classification of canonical microsporidians. Previous studies have produced a useful backbone of the microsporidian phylogeny, but provided only some nodal support, causing some confusion. Here, we reconstructed phylogenetic trees of canonical microsporidians using Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood inferences. We included rRNA sequences of 126 described/named genera, by far the broadest taxon coverage to date. Overall, our trees show similar topology and recovered four of the five main clades demonstrated in previous studies (Clades 1, 3, 4 and 5). Family level clades were well resolved within each major clade, but many were discordant with the recently revised classification. Therefore, revision and some reshuffling, especially within and between Clades 1 and 3 are required. We also reconstructed phylogenetic trees of Opisthosporidia to better integrate the evolutionary history of canonical microsporidians in a broader context. We discuss several traits shared only by canonical microsporidians that may have contributed to their striking ecological success in diverse metazoans. More targeted studies on the neglected host groups will be of value for a better understanding of the evolutionary history of these interesting intracellular parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunji Park
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, 340 Great King Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand.
| | - Robert Poulin
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, 340 Great King Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
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Weng M, Liu X, Zhao Y, Xie D, Zhang Q, Sato H, Zhang J. Morphological and molecular characterization of a new species, Agglomerata daphniae n. sp. from the hypoderm of Daphnia magna (Crustacea: Daphniidae). J Invertebr Pathol 2020; 177:107501. [PMID: 33159908 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2020.107501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A new microsporidian species was described from the hypoderm of Daphnia magna sampled from gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) ponds located in Wuhan city, China. The infected cladocerans generally appeared opaque due to numerous plasmodia distributed in the host integument. The earliest stages observed were uninucleate meronts that were in direct contact with the host cell cytoplasm. Meronts developed into multinucleate sporogonial plasmodia enclosed in sporophorous vesicles. Sporoblasts were produced by the rosette-like division of sporogonial division. Mature spores were pyriform and monokaryotic, measuring 4.48 ± 0.09 (4.34-4.65) µm long and 2.40 ± 0.08 (2.18-2.54) µm wide. The polaroplast was bipartite with loose anterior lamellae and tight posterior lamellae. Polar filaments, arranged in two rows, were anisofilar with two wider anterior coils, and five narrower posterior coils. The exospore was covered with fibrous secretions and was composed of four layers. Phylogenetic analysis based on the obtained SSU rDNA sequence, indicated that the present species clustered with three unidentified Daphnia pulicaria-infecting microsporidia with high support values to form a monophyletic lineage, rather than with the congener, Agglomerata cladocera. The barcode motif of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the novel species was unique among representatives of the "Agglomeratidae" sensu clade (Vávra et al., 2018). Based on the morphological characters and SSU rDNA-inferred phylogenetic analyses, a new species was erected and named as Agglomerata daphniae n. sp. This is the first report of zooplankton-infecting microsporidia in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiqi Weng
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10049, China
| | - Xinhua Liu
- Laboratory of Hydrobiology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Yuanli Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10049, China
| | - Derong Xie
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10049, China
| | - Qianqian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Hiroshi Sato
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi 1677-1, Japan
| | - Jinyong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10049, China; School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; Laboratory of Parasitology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi 1677-1, Japan.
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Vávra J, Fiala I, Krylová P, Petrusek A, Hyliš M. Establishment of a new microsporidian genus and species, Pseudoberwaldia daphniae (Microsporidia, Opisthosporidia), a common parasite of the Daphnia longispina complex in Europe. J Invertebr Pathol 2019; 162:43-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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