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Werb O, Matuschewski K, Weber N, Hillers A, Garteh J, Jusu A, Turay BS, Wauquier N, Escalante AA, Andreína Pacheco M, Schaer J. New member of Plasmodium (Vinckeia) and Plasmodium cyclopsi discovered in bats in Sierra Leone - nuclear sequence and complete mitochondrial genome analyses. Int J Parasitol 2024; 54:475-484. [PMID: 38762159 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2024.05.002] [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: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Malaria remains the most important arthropod-borne infectious disease globally. The causative agent, Plasmodium, is a unicellular eukaryote that develops inside red blood cells. Identifying new Plasmodium parasite species that infect mammalian hosts can shed light on the complex evolution and diversity of malaria parasites. Bats feature a high diversity of microorganisms including seven separate genera of malarial parasites. Three species of Plasmodium have been reported so far, for which scarce reports exist. Here we present data from an investigation of Plasmodium infections in bats in the western Guinean lowland forest in Sierra Leone. We discovered a new Plasmodium parasite in the horseshoe bat Rhinolophus landeri. Plasmodium cyclopsi infections in a member of leaf-nosed bats, Doryrhina cyclops, exhibited a high prevalence of 100%. Phylogenetic analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes and nine nuclear markers recovered a close relationship between P. cyclopsi and the new Plasmodium parasite with the rodent species Plasmodium berghei, a widely used in vivo model to study malaria in humans. The data suggests that the "rodent/bat" Plasmodium (Vinckeia) clade represents a diverse group of malarial parasites that would likely expand with a systematic sampling of small mammals in tropical Africa. Identifying the bat Plasmodium repertoire is central to our understanding of the evolution of Plasmodium parasites in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oskar Werb
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Matuschewski
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Natalie Weber
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Department of Migration, Radolfzell, Germany; Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Germany
| | - Annika Hillers
- Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF), Monrovia, Liberia; The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Centre for Conservation Science, Sandy, United Kingdom
| | - Jerry Garteh
- Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL), Monrovia, Liberia
| | - Amadu Jusu
- Gola Rainforest Conservation Limited by Guarantee (GRC_LG) Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | - Brima S Turay
- Gola Rainforest Conservation Limited by Guarantee (GRC_LG) Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | - Nadia Wauquier
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1135 CNRS EMR 8255, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris), Paris, France
| | - Ananias A Escalante
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - M Andreína Pacheco
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Juliane Schaer
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany; Department of Biology, Muni University, Arua, Uganda.
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Pacheco MA, Cepeda AS, Miller EA, Beckerman S, Oswald M, London E, Mateus-Pinilla NE, Escalante AA. A new long-read mitochondrial-genome protocol (PacBio HiFi) for haemosporidian parasites: a tool for population and biodiversity studies. Malar J 2024; 23:134. [PMID: 38704592 PMCID: PMC11069185 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04961-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies on haemosporidian diversity, including origin of human malaria parasites, malaria's zoonotic dynamic, and regional biodiversity patterns, have used target gene approaches. However, current methods have a trade-off between scalability and data quality. Here, a long-read Next-Generation Sequencing protocol using PacBio HiFi is presented. The data processing is supported by a pipeline that uses machine-learning for analysing the reads. METHODS A set of primers was designed to target approximately 6 kb, almost the entire length of the haemosporidian mitochondrial genome. Amplicons from different samples were multiplexed in an SMRTbell® library preparation. A pipeline (HmtG-PacBio Pipeline) to process the reads is also provided; it integrates multiple sequence alignments, a machine-learning algorithm that uses modified variational autoencoders, and a clustering method to identify the mitochondrial haplotypes/species in a sample. Although 192 specimens could be studied simultaneously, a pilot experiment with 15 specimens is presented, including in silico experiments where multiple data combinations were tested. RESULTS The primers amplified various haemosporidian parasite genomes and yielded high-quality mt genome sequences. This new protocol allowed the detection and characterization of mixed infections and co-infections in the samples. The machine-learning approach converged into reproducible haplotypes with a low error rate, averaging 0.2% per read (minimum of 0.03% and maximum of 0.46%). The minimum recommended coverage per haplotype is 30X based on the detected error rates. The pipeline facilitates inspecting the data, including a local blast against a file of provided mitochondrial sequences that the researcher can customize. CONCLUSIONS This is not a diagnostic approach but a high-throughput method to study haemosporidian sequence assemblages and perform genotyping by targeting the mitochondrial genome. Accordingly, the methodology allowed for examining specimens with multiple infections and co-infections of different haemosporidian parasites. The pipeline enables data quality assessment and comparison of the haplotypes obtained to those from previous studies. Although a single locus approach, whole mitochondrial data provide high-quality information to characterize species pools of haemosporidian parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Andreína Pacheco
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, (SERC - 645), 1925 N. 12 St, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-1801, USA.
| | - Axl S Cepeda
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, (SERC - 645), 1925 N. 12 St, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-1801, USA
| | - Erica A Miller
- University of Pennsylvania, Wildlife Futures Program, Kennett Square, Philadelphia, PA, 19348, USA
| | | | | | - Evan London
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Nohra E Mateus-Pinilla
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, 61801, USA
- Illinois Natural History Survey-Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, 61802, USA
| | - Ananias A Escalante
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, (SERC - 645), 1925 N. 12 St, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-1801, USA.
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Cepeda AS, Mello B, Pacheco MA, Luo Z, Sullivan SA, Carlton JM, Escalante AA. The Genome of Plasmodium gonderi: Insights into the Evolution of Human Malaria Parasites. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae027. [PMID: 38376987 PMCID: PMC10901558 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium species causing malaria in humans are not monophyletic, sharing common ancestors with nonhuman primate parasites. Plasmodium gonderi is one of the few known Plasmodium species infecting African old-world monkeys that are not found in apes. This study reports a de novo assembled P. gonderi genome with complete chromosomes. The P. gonderi genome shares codon usage, syntenic blocks, and other characteristics with the human parasites Plasmodium ovale s.l. and Plasmodium malariae, also of African origin, and the human parasite Plasmodium vivax and species found in nonhuman primates from Southeast Asia. Using phylogenetically aware methods, newly identified syntenic blocks were found enriched with conserved metabolic genes. Regions outside those blocks harbored genes encoding proteins involved in the vertebrate host-Plasmodium relationship undergoing faster evolution. Such genome architecture may have facilitated colonizing vertebrate hosts. Phylogenomic analyses estimated the common ancestor between P. vivax and an African ape parasite P. vivax-like, within the Asian nonhuman primates parasites clade. Time estimates incorporating P. gonderi placed the P. vivax and P. vivax-like common ancestor in the late Pleistocene, a time of active migration of hominids between Africa and Asia. Thus, phylogenomic and time-tree analyses are consistent with an Asian origin for P. vivax and an introduction of P. vivax-like into Africa. Unlike other studies, time estimates for the clade with Plasmodium falciparum, the most lethal human malaria parasite, coincide with their host species radiation, African hominids. Overall, the newly assembled genome presented here has the quality to support comparative genomic investigations in Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axl S Cepeda
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122-1801, USA
| | - Beatriz Mello
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Andreína Pacheco
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122-1801, USA
| | - Zunping Luo
- Center for Genomics & Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Steven A Sullivan
- Center for Genomics & Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Jane M Carlton
- Center for Genomics & Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Ananias A Escalante
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122-1801, USA
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Musa S. Mitochondrial genome amplification of avian haemosporidian parasites from single-infected wildlife samples using a novel nested PCR approach. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:2967-2975. [PMID: 37787788 PMCID: PMC10667411 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07986-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Haemosporidian parasites that infect birds (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida) are blood parasites that require an invertebrate host (vector) and a vertebrate host for their lifecycle and cause malaria-like diseases. This group of parasites has provided valuable insights into host specificity, virulence, and parasite dispersal. Additionally, they have played a significant role in reshaping our understanding of the evolutionary history of apicomplexans. In order to accurately identify species and to address phylogenetic questions such as the timing of the haemosporidian radiation, the use of a sufficiently large genetic data set is crucial. However, acquiring this genetic data poses significant challenges. In this research, a sensitive nested PCR assay was developed. This assay allows for the easy amplification of complete mitochondrial genomes of haemosporidian parasites in birds, even during the chronic stage of infection. The effectiveness of this new nested PCR assay was evaluated using blood and tissue samples of birds with verified single parasite infections from previous studies. The approach involves amplifying four overlapping fragments of the mitochondrial genome and requires DNA extracts from single-infected samples. This method successfully amplified the complete mitochondrial genomes of 24 distinct haemosporidian parasite lineages found in various bird species. This data is invaluable for conducting phylogenetic analyses and accurately defining species. Furthermore, this study proposes the existence of at least 15 new haemosporidian parasite species based on the genetic information obtained. Data regarding pGRW04, previously categorized as Plasmodium relictum like pSGS1 and pGRW11, indicates that the pGRW04 lineage is actually a separate, hidden Plasmodium species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Musa
- University of Hohenheim, Emil-Wolff-Str. 34, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany.
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Vieira LMDC, Pereira PHO, Vilela DADR, Landau I, Pacheco MA, Escalante AA, Ferreira FC, Braga ÉM. Leucocytozoon cariamae n. sp. and Haemoproteus pulcher coinfection in Cariama cristata (Aves: Cariamiformes): first mitochondrial genome analysis and morphological description of a leucocytozoid in Brazil. Parasitology 2023; 150:1296-1306. [PMID: 37655743 PMCID: PMC10941214 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182023000811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
The distribution of avian haemosporidians of the genus Leucocytozoon in the Neotropics remains poorly understood. Recent studies confirmed their presence in the region using molecular techniques alone, but evidence for gametocytes and data on putative competent hosts for Leucocytozoon are still lacking outside highland areas. We combined morphological and molecular data to characterize a new Leucocytozoon species infecting a non-migratory red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata), the first report of a competent host for Leucocytozoon in Brazil. Leucocytozoon cariamae n. sp. is distinguished from the Leucocytozoon fringillinarum group by its microgametocytes that are not strongly appressed to the host cell nucleus. The bird studied was coinfected with Haemoproteus pulcher, and we present a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis based on nearly complete mitochondrial genomes of these 2 parasites. Leucocytozoon cariamae n. sp. morphology is consistent with our phylogenetic analysis indicating that it does not share a recent common ancestor with the L. fringillinarum group. Haemoproteus pulcher and Haemoproteus catharti form a monophyletic group with Haemocystidium parasites of Reptilia, supporting the polyphyly of the genus Haemoproteus. We also discussed the hypothesis that H. pulcher and H. catharti may be avian Haemocystidium, highlighting the need to study non-passerine parasites to untangle the systematics of Haemosporida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lis Marques de C Vieira
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Pedro Henrique O Pereira
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Daniel Ambrózio da Rocha Vilela
- Centro de Triagem de Animais Silvestres, Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais não Renováveis, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Irène Landau
- Muséum Nation d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR7245, Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes, Paris, France
| | - M Andreína Pacheco
- Biology Department, Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ananias A Escalante
- Biology Department, Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Francisco C Ferreira
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Schubot Center for Avian Health, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Érika Martins Braga
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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