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Espejo C, Ezenwa VO. Extracellular vesicles: an emerging tool for wild immunology. DISCOVERY IMMUNOLOGY 2024; 3:kyae011. [PMID: 39005930 PMCID: PMC11244269 DOI: 10.1093/discim/kyae011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
The immune system is crucial for defending organisms against pathogens and maintaining health. Traditionally, research in immunology has relied on laboratory animals to understand how the immune system works. However, there is increasing recognition that wild animals, due to their greater genetic diversity, lifespan, and environmental exposures, have much to contribute to basic and translational immunology. Unfortunately, logistical challenges associated with collecting and storing samples from wildlife, and the lack of commercially available species-specific reagents have hindered the advancement of immunological research on wild species. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nanoparticles present in all body fluids and tissues of organisms spanning from bacteria to mammals. Human and lab animal studies indicate that EVs are involved in a range of immunological processes, and recent work shows that EVs may play similar roles in diverse wildlife species. Thus, EVs can expand the toolbox available for wild immunology research, helping to overcome some of the challenges associated with this work. In this paper, we explore the potential application of EVs to wild immunology. First, we review current understanding of EV biology across diverse organisms. Next, we discuss key insights into the immune system gained from research on EVs in human and laboratory animal models and highlight emerging evidence from wild species. Finally, we identify research themes in wild immunology that can immediately benefit from the study of EVs and describe practical considerations for using EVs in wildlife research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Espejo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Vanessa O Ezenwa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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2
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Brian JI, Aldridge DC. Host and parasite identity interact in scale-dependent fashion to determine parasite community structure. Oecologia 2024; 204:199-211. [PMID: 38206416 PMCID: PMC10830602 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05499-3] [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: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the ecological assembly of parasite communities is critical to characterise how changing host and environmental landscapes will alter infection dynamics and outcomes. However, studies frequently assume that (a) closely related parasite species or those with identical life-history strategies are functionally equivalent, and (b) the same factors will drive infection dynamics for a single parasite across multiple host species, oversimplifying community assembly patterns. Here, we challenge these two assumptions using a naturally occurring host-parasite system, with the mussel Anodonta anatina infected by the digenean trematode Echinoparyphium recurvatum, and the snail Viviparus viviparus infected by both E. recurvatum and Echinostoma sp. By analysing the impact of temporal parasite dispersal, host species and size, and the impact of coinfection (moving from broader environmental factors to within-host dynamics), we show that neither assumption holds true, but at different ecological scales. The assumption that closely related parasites can be functionally grouped is challenged when considering dispersal to the host (i.e. larger scales), while the assumption that the same factors will drive infection dynamics for a single parasite across multiple host species is challenged when considering within-host interspecific competition (i.e. smaller scales). Our results demonstrate that host identity, parasite identity and ecological scale require simultaneous consideration in studies of parasite community composition and transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua I Brian
- Aquatic Ecology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK.
- Department of Geography, Bush House North East, King's College London, London, WC2B 4BG, UK.
| | - David C Aldridge
- Aquatic Ecology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK
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3
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Sisson D, Beechler B, Jabbar A, Jolles A, Hufschmid J. Epidemiology of Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma centrale infections in African buffalo ( Syncerus caffer) from Kruger National Park, South Africa. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2023; 21:47-54. [PMID: 37124669 PMCID: PMC10140747 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Image 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Sisson
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia
- Corresponding author.
| | - Brianna Beechler
- Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Magruder Hall, 700 SW 30th St, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Abdul Jabbar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia
| | - Anna Jolles
- Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Magruder Hall, 700 SW 30th St, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Cordley Hall, 3029, 2701 SW Campus Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Jasmin Hufschmid
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia
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4
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You H, Jones MK, Gordon CA, Arganda AE, Cai P, Al-Wassiti H, Pouton CW, McManus DP. The mRNA Vaccine Technology Era and the Future Control of Parasitic Infections. Clin Microbiol Rev 2023; 36:e0024121. [PMID: 36625671 PMCID: PMC10035331 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00241-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite intensive long-term efforts, with very few exceptions, the development of effective vaccines against parasitic infections has presented considerable challenges, given the complexity of parasite life cycles, the interplay between parasites and their hosts, and their capacity to escape the host immune system and to regulate host immune responses. For many parasitic diseases, conventional vaccine platforms have generally proven ill suited, considering the complex manufacturing processes involved and the costs they incur, the inability to posttranslationally modify cloned target antigens, and the absence of long-lasting protective immunity induced by these antigens. An effective antiparasite vaccine platform is required to assess the effectiveness of novel vaccine candidates at high throughput. By exploiting the approach that has recently been used successfully to produce highly protective COVID mRNA vaccines, we anticipate a new wave of research to advance the use of mRNA vaccines to prevent parasitic infections in the near future. This article considers the characteristics that are required to develop a potent antiparasite vaccine and provides a conceptual foundation to promote the development of parasite mRNA-based vaccines. We review the recent advances and challenges encountered in developing antiparasite vaccines and evaluate the potential of developing mRNA vaccines against parasites, including those causing diseases such as malaria and schistosomiasis, against which vaccines are currently suboptimal or not yet available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong You
- Department of Infection and Inflammation, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Malcolm K. Jones
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Catherine A. Gordon
- Department of Infection and Inflammation, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Alexa E. Arganda
- Department of Infection and Inflammation, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Pengfei Cai
- Department of Infection and Inflammation, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Harry Al-Wassiti
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Colin W. Pouton
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Donald P. McManus
- Department of Infection and Inflammation, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
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5
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Tober AV, Govender D, Russo IRM, Cable J. The microscopic five of the big five: Managing zoonotic diseases within and beyond African wildlife protected areas. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2022; 117:1-46. [PMID: 35878948 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2022.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
African protected areas strive to conserve the continent's great biodiversity with a targeted focus on the flagship 'Big Five' megafauna. Though often not considered, this biodiversity protection also extends to the lesser-known microbes and parasites that are maintained in these diverse ecosystems, often in a silent and endemically stable state. Climate and anthropogenic change, and associated diversity loss, however, are altering these dynamics leading to shifts in ecological interactions and pathogen spill over into new niches and hosts. As many African protected areas are bordered by game and livestock farms, as well as villages, they provide an ideal study system to assess infection dynamics at the human-livestock-wildlife interface. Here we review five zoonotic, multi-host diseases (bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, Rift Valley fever, schistosomiasis and cryptosporidiosis)-the 'Microscopic Five'-and discuss the biotic and abiotic drivers of parasite transmission using the iconic Kruger National Park, South Africa, as a case study. We identify knowledge gaps regarding the impact of the 'Microscopic Five' on wildlife within parks and highlight the need for more empirical data, particularly for neglected (schistosomiasis) and newly emerging (cryptosporidiosis) diseases, as well as zoonotic disease risk from the rising bush meat trade and game farm industry. As protected areas strive to become further embedded in the socio-economic systems that surround them, providing benefits to local communities, One Health approaches can help maintain the ecological integrity of ecosystems, while protecting local communities and economies from the negative impacts of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anya V Tober
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
| | - Danny Govender
- SANParks, Scientific Services, Savanna and Grassland Research Unit, Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Paraclinical Sciences, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa
| | - Isa-Rita M Russo
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Jo Cable
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
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Ohmer MEB, Costantini D, Czirják GÁ, Downs CJ, Ferguson LV, Flies A, Franklin CE, Kayigwe AN, Knutie S, Richards-Zawacki CL, Cramp RL. Applied ecoimmunology: using immunological tools to improve conservation efforts in a changing world. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 9:coab074. [PMID: 34512994 PMCID: PMC8422949 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coab074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Ecoimmunology is a rapidly developing field that explores how the environment shapes immune function, which in turn influences host-parasite relationships and disease outcomes. Host immune defence is a key fitness determinant because it underlies the capacity of animals to resist or tolerate potential infections. Importantly, immune function can be suppressed, depressed, reconfigured or stimulated by exposure to rapidly changing environmental drivers like temperature, pollutants and food availability. Thus, hosts may experience trade-offs resulting from altered investment in immune function under environmental stressors. As such, approaches in ecoimmunology can provide powerful tools to assist in the conservation of wildlife. Here, we provide case studies that explore the diverse ways that ecoimmunology can inform and advance conservation efforts, from understanding how Galapagos finches will fare with introduced parasites, to using methods from human oncology to design vaccines against a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils. In addition, we discuss the future of ecoimmunology and present 10 questions that can help guide this emerging field to better inform conservation decisions and biodiversity protection. From better linking changes in immune function to disease outcomes under different environmental conditions, to understanding how individual variation contributes to disease dynamics in wild populations, there is immense potential for ecoimmunology to inform the conservation of imperilled hosts in the face of new and re-emerging pathogens, in addition to improving the detection and management of emerging potential zoonoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel E B Ohmer
- Living Earth Collaborative, Washington University in St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - David Costantini
- Unité Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation (PhyMA), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, 57 Rue Cuvier, CP32, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Gábor Á Czirják
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Cynthia J Downs
- Department of Environmental Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Laura V Ferguson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Andy Flies
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Craig E Franklin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Ahab N Kayigwe
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Sarah Knutie
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268, USA
| | | | - Rebecca L Cramp
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Corresponding author: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia.
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7
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Combrink L, Glidden CK, Beechler BR, Charleston B, Koehler AV, Sisson D, Gasser RB, Jabbar A, Jolles AE. Age of first infection across a range of parasite taxa in a wild mammalian population. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20190811. [PMID: 32070234 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Newborn mammals have an immature immune system that cannot sufficiently protect them against infectious diseases. However, variation in the effectiveness of maternal immunity against different parasites may couple with temporal trends in parasite exposure to influence disparities in the timing of infection risk. Determining the relationship between age and infection risk is critical in identifying the portion of a host population that contributes to parasite dynamics, as well as the parasites that regulate host recruitment. However, there are no data directly identifying timing of first infection among parasites in wildlife. Here, we took advantage of a longitudinal dataset, tracking infection status by viruses, bacteria, protists and gastro-intestinal worms in a herd of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) to ask: how does age of first infection differ among parasite taxa? We found distinct differences in the age of first infection among parasites that aligned with the mode of transmission and parasite taxonomy. Specifically, we found that tick-borne and environmentally transmitted protists were acquired earlier than directly transmitted bacteria and viruses. These results emphasize the importance of understanding infection risk in juveniles, especially in host species where juveniles are purported to sustain parasite persistence and/or where mortality rates of juveniles influence population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh Combrink
- Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Caroline K Glidden
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Bree R Beechler
- Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Bryan Charleston
- The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking GU24 0NF, UK
| | - Anson V Koehler
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Danielle Sisson
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Robin B Gasser
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Abdul Jabbar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Anna E Jolles
- Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
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Seguel M, Beechler BR, Coon CC, Snyder PW, Spaan JM, Jolles AE, Ezenwa VO. Immune stability predicts tuberculosis infection risk in a wild mammal. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191401. [PMID: 31575363 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunity is one of the most variable phenotypic traits in animals; however, some individuals may show less fluctuation in immune traits, resulting in stable patterns of immune variation over time. It is currently unknown whether immune variation has consequences for infectious disease risk. In this study, we identified moderately stable immune traits in wild African buffalo and asked whether the stability of these traits affected bovine tuberculosis (TB) infection risk. We found that adaptive immune traits such as the level of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) released after white blood cell stimulation, the number of circulating lymphocytes and the level of antibodies against bovine adenovirus-3 were moderately repeatable (i.e. stable) over time, whereas parameters related to innate immunity either had low repeatability (circulating eosinophil numbers) or were not repeatable (e.g. neutrophil numbers, plasma bacteria killing capacity). Intriguingly, individuals with more repeatable IFN-γ and lymphocyte levels were at a significantly higher risk of acquiring TB infection. In stark contrast, average IFN-γ and lymphocyte levels were poor predictors of TB risk, indicating that immune variability rather than absolute response level better captured variation in disease susceptibility. This work highlights the important and under-appreciated role of immune variability as a predictor of infection risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio Seguel
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Brianna R Beechler
- Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Courtney C Coon
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa.,Felidae Conservation Fund, Mill Valley, CA, USA
| | - Paul W Snyder
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Johannie M Spaan
- College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Northwest, Western University of Health Sciences, Lebanon, OR, USA
| | - Anna E Jolles
- Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Vanessa O Ezenwa
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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