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Zalar P, Gubenšek A, Gostincar C, Kostanjšek R, Bizjak-Mali L, Gunde-Cimerman N. Cultivable Skin Mycobiota of Healthy and Diseased Blind Cave Salamander (Proteus anguinus). Front Microbiol 2022; 13:926558. [PMID: 35910647 PMCID: PMC9329069 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.926558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteus anguinus is a neotenic cave salamander, endemic to the Dinaric Karst and a symbol of world natural heritage. It is classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is one of the EU priority species in need of strict protection. Due to inaccessibility of their natural underground habitat, scientific studies of the olm have been conducted mainly in captivity, where the amphibians are particularly susceptible to opportunistic microbial infections. In this report, we focused on the diversity of cultivable commensal fungi isolated from the skin of asymptomatic and symptomatic animals obtained from nature (20 specimens) and captivity (22 specimens), as well as from underground water of two karstic caves by direct water filtration and by exposure of keratin-based microbial baits and subsequent isolation from them. In total 244 fungal isolates were recovered from the animals and additional 153 isolates were obtained from water samples. Together, these isolates represented 87 genera and 166 species. Symptomatic animals were colonized by a variety of fungal species, most of them represented by a single isolate, including genera known for their involvement in chromomycosis, phaeohyphomycosis and zygomycosis in amphibians: Acremonium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Exophiala, Fusarium, Mucor, Ochroconis, Phialophora and Penicillium. One symptomatic specimen sampled from nature was infected by the oomycete Saprolegnia parasitica, the known causative agent of saprolegniosis. This is the first comprehensive report on cultivable skin mycobiome of this unique amphibian in nature and in captivity, with an emphasis on potentially pathogenic fungi and oomycetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polona Zalar
- Chair of Molecular Genetics and Biology of Microorganisms, Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ana Gubenšek
- Chair of Molecular Genetics and Biology of Microorganisms, Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Cene Gostincar
- Chair of Molecular Genetics and Biology of Microorganisms, Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Rok Kostanjšek
- Chair of Zoology, Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Lilijana Bizjak-Mali
- Chair of Zoology, Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Chair of Molecular Genetics and Biology of Microorganisms, Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Nina Gunde-Cimerman,
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Recknagel H, Trontelj P. From Cave Dragons to Genomics: Advancements in the Study of Subterranean Tetrapods. Bioscience 2022; 72:254-266. [PMID: 35241972 PMCID: PMC8888124 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Throughout most of the kingdom Animalia, evolutionary transitions from surface life to a life permanently bound to caves and other subterranean habitats have occurred innumerous times. Not so in tetrapods, where a mere 14 cave-obligate species-all plethodontid and proteid salamanders-are known. We discuss why cave tetrapods are so exceptional and why only salamanders have made the transition. Their evolution follows predictable and convergent, albeit independent pathways. Among the many known changes associated with transitions to subterranean life, eye degeneration, starvation resistance, and longevity are especially relevant to human biomedical research. Recently, sequences of salamander genomes have become available opening up genomic research for cave tetrapods. We discuss new genomic methods that can spur our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms behind convergent phenotypic change, the relative roles of selective and neutral evolution, cryptic species diversity, and data relevant for conservation such as effective population size and demography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Recknagel
- University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, working, Biotechnical Faculty, Dept. of Biology, Subterranean Biology Lab
| | - Peter Trontelj
- University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, working, Biotechnical Faculty, Dept. of Biology, Subterranean Biology Lab
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