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Frias H, Murga L, Bardales W, Frias V, Portocarrero-Villegas SM, Segura Portocarrero T, Arista M, Saucedo-Uriarte JA. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Anaplasmosis in Simmental Cattle in the Peruvian Amazon. Vet Med Int 2024; 2024:4634440. [PMID: 38933691 PMCID: PMC11208101 DOI: 10.1155/2024/4634440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Anaplasmosis, transmitted biologically and mechanically, is one of the most prevalent diseases responsible for high production costs worldwide. In this research, the prevalence and risk factors of anaplasmosis in Simmental cattle raised in the Peruvian Amazon were evaluated. 266 blood samples were collected from bovines of different categories such as calves male, calves females, heifers <1.3 years, heifers >1.3 years, steers, bulls, and cows from the districts of Omia and Molinopampa. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used to detect antibodies against Anaplasma marginale. Of the 266 animals sampled, 67% were positive for A. marginale. A higher prevalence was determined in the district of Omia (99.3%), while in the district of Molinopampa, 28.7% was obtained. A prevalence of A. marginale was recorded in females (67.7%) and in males (64.8%) (p > 0.05). There is a significant association of the disease with the category of cattle, verifying the highest prevalence of A. marginale in calves male, heifer >1.3 years, and bull. The multiple correspondence analysis shows that San Mateo, Puma Marca, Mashuyacu, Primavera, and Los Olivos have a higher prevalence of anaplasmosis, associated with altitude of 1701-2000 m, spray baths and paddock rotation. Anaplasmosis is prevalent in Simmental cattle from the Peruvian Amazon, with a higher incidence in Omia and in females, considering May to August the critical months and the altitude less than 2000 meters above sea level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Frias
- Faculty of Zootechnical EngineeringAgribusiness and Biotechnology of the Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru
| | - Luis Murga
- Faculty of Zootechnical EngineeringAgribusiness and Biotechnology of the Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru
| | - William Bardales
- Faculty of Zootechnical EngineeringAgribusiness and Biotechnology of the Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru
| | - Vanessa Frias
- Laboratory of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases of Domestic AnimalsLivestock and Biotechnology Research Institute of the Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru
| | - Segundo Melecio Portocarrero-Villegas
- Faculty of Zootechnical EngineeringAgribusiness and Biotechnology of the Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru
| | - Tatiana Segura Portocarrero
- Faculty of Zootechnical EngineeringAgribusiness and Biotechnology of the Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru
| | - Miguel Arista
- Laboratory of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases of Domestic AnimalsLivestock and Biotechnology Research Institute of the Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru
| | - José Américo Saucedo-Uriarte
- Faculty of Zootechnical EngineeringAgribusiness and Biotechnology of the Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas, Chachapoyas 01001, Peru
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2
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Sugden S, Steckler DK, Sanderson D, Abercrombie B, Abercrombie D, Seguin MA, Ford K, St. Clair CC. Age-dependent relationships among diet, body condition, and Echinococcus multilocularis infection in urban coyotes. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290755. [PMID: 37647321 PMCID: PMC10468061 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Urban coyotes (Canis latrans) in North America increasingly exhibit a high prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis, a cestode of recent and rising public health concern that uses rodents as intermediate hosts and canids as definitive hosts. However, little is known about the factors that drive the high urban prevalence of this parasite. We hypothesized that the diet of urban coyotes may contribute to their higher E. multilocularis infection prevalence via either (a) greater exposure to the parasite from increased rodent consumption or (b) increased susceptibility to infection due to the negative health effects of consuming anthropogenic food. We tested these hypotheses by comparing the presence and intensity of E. multilocularis infection to physiological data (age, sex, body condition, and spleen mass), short-term diet (stomach contents), and long-term diet (δ13C and δ15N stable isotopes) in 112 coyote carcasses collected for reasons other than this study from Edmonton, Alberta and the surrounding area. Overall, the best predictor of infection status in this population was young age, where the likelihood of infection decreased with age in rural coyotes but not urban ones. Neither short- nor long-term measures of diet could predict infection across our entire sample, but we found support for our initial hypotheses in young, urban coyotes: both rodent and anthropogenic food consumption effectively predicted E. multilocularis infection in this population. The effects of these predictors were more variable in rural coyotes and older coyotes. We suggest that limiting coyote access to areas in which anthropogenic food and rodent habitat overlap (e.g., compost piles or garbage sites) may effectively reduce the risk of infection, deposition, and transmission of this emerging zoonotic parasite in urban areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Sugden
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Deanna K. Steckler
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Dana Sanderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bill Abercrombie
- Animal Damage Control, Bushman Inc., Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - M. Alexis Seguin
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, Maine, United States of America
| | - Kyra Ford
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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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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Glidden CK, Karakoç C, Duan C, Jiang Y, Beechler B, Jabbar A, Jolles AE. Distinct life history strategies underpin clear patterns of succession in microparasite communities infecting a wild mammalian host. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:3733-3746. [PMID: 37009964 PMCID: PMC10389068 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16949] [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: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
Individual animals in natural populations tend to host diverse parasite species concurrently over their lifetimes. In free-living ecological communities, organismal life histories shape interactions with their environment, which ultimately forms the basis of ecological succession. However, the structure and dynamics of mammalian parasite communities have not been contextualized in terms of primary ecological succession, in part because few datasets track occupancy and abundance of multiple parasites in wild hosts starting at birth. Here, we studied community dynamics of 12 subtypes of protozoan microparasites (Theileria spp.) in a herd of African buffalo. We show that Theileria communities followed predictable patterns of succession underpinned by four different parasite life history strategies. However, in contrast to many free-living communities, network complexity decreased with host age. Examining parasite communities through the lens of succession may better inform the effect of complex within host eco-evolutionary dynamics on infection outcomes, including parasite co-existence through the lifetime of the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline K. Glidden
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Canan Karakoç
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Chenyang Duan
- Department of Statistics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Yuan Jiang
- Department of Statistics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Brianna Beechler
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Abdul Jabbar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Anna E. Jolles
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
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5
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EXPLORING THE USE OF THE ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE AS AN INFLAMMATORY MARKER FOR FREE-RANGING WILDLIFE: A CASE STUDY IN AFRICAN BUFFALO (SYNCERUS CAFFER). J Wildl Dis 2022; 58:298-308. [PMID: 35276000 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-21-00114] [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: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Measuring inflammatory markers is critical to evaluating both recent infection status and overall human and animal health; however, there are relatively few techniques that do not require specialized equipment or personnel for detecting inflammation among wildlife. Such techniques are useful in that they help determine individual and population-level inflammatory status without the infrastructure and reagents that many more-specific assays require. One such technique, known as the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), is a measure of how quickly erythrocytes (red blood cells) settle in serum, with a faster rate indicating a general, underlying inflammatory process is occurring. The technique is simple, inexpensive, and can be performed in the field without specialized equipment. We took advantage of a population of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), well studied from June 2014 to May 2017, to understand the utility of ESR in an important wildlife species. When ESR was compared with other markers of immunity in African buffalo, it correlated to known measures of inflammation. We found that a faster ESR was significantly positively correlated with increased total globulin levels and significantly negatively correlated with increased red blood cell count and albumin levels. We then evaluated if ESR correlated to the incidence of five respiratory pathogens and infection with two tick-borne pathogens in African buffalo. Our results suggest that elevated ESR is associated with the incidence of bovine viral diarrhea virus infection, parainfluenza virus, and Mannheimia haemolytica infections as well as concurrent Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma centrale coinfection. These findings suggest that ESR is a useful field test as an inflammatory marker in individuals and herds, helping us better monitor overall health status in wild populations.
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Wigley-Coetsee C, Strydom T, Govender D, Thompson DI, Govender N, Botha J, Simms C, Manganyi A, Kruger L, Venter J, Greaver C, Smit IP. Reflecting on research produced after more than 60 years of exclosures in the Kruger National Park. KOEDOE: AFRICAN PROTECTED AREA CONSERVATION AND SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.4102/koedoe.v64i1.1674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Herbivores are a main driver of ecosystem patterns and processes in semi-arid savannas, with their effects clearly observed when they are excluded from landscapes. Starting in the 1960s, various herbivore exclosures have been erected in the Kruger National Park (KNP), for research and management purposes. These exclosures vary from very small (1 m2) to relatively large (almost 900 ha), from short-term (single growing season) to long-term (e.g. some of the exclosures were erected more than 60 years ago), and are located on different geologies and across a rainfall gradient. We provide a summary of the history and specifications of various exclosures. This is followed by a systematic overview of mostly peer-reviewed literature resulting from using KNP exclosures as research sites. These 75 articles cover research on soils, vegetation dynamics, herbivore exclusion on other faunal groups and disease. We provide general patterns and mechanisms in a synthesis section, and end with recommendations to increase research outputs and productivity for future exclosure experiments.Conservation Implications: Herbivore exclosures in the KNP have become global research platforms, that have helped in the training of ecologists, veterinarians and field biologists, and have provided valuable insights into savanna dynamics that would otherwise have been hard to gain. In an age of dwindling conservation funding, we make the case for the value added by exclosures and make recommendations for their continued use as learning tools in complex African savannas.
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7
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Downie AE, Mayer A, Metcalf CJE, Graham AL. Optimal immune specificity at the intersection of host life history and parasite epidemiology. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009714. [PMID: 34932551 PMCID: PMC8730424 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hosts diverge widely in how, and how well, they defend themselves against infection and immunopathology. Why are hosts so heterogeneous? Both epidemiology and life history are commonly hypothesized to influence host immune strategy, but the relationship between immune strategy and each factor has commonly been investigated in isolation. Here, we show that interactions between life history and epidemiology are crucial for determining optimal immune specificity and sensitivity. We propose a demographically-structured population dynamics model, in which we explore sensitivity and specificity of immune responses when epidemiological risks vary with age. We find that variation in life history traits associated with both reproduction and longevity alters optimal immune strategies-but the magnitude and sometimes even direction of these effects depends on how epidemiological risks vary across life. An especially compelling example that explains previously-puzzling empirical observations is that depending on whether infection risk declines or rises at reproductive maturity, later reproductive maturity can select for either greater or lower immune specificity, potentially illustrating why studies of lifespan and immune variation across taxa have been inconclusive. Thus, the sign of selection on the life history-immune specificity relationship can be reversed in different epidemiological contexts. Drawing on published life history data from a variety of chordate taxa, we generate testable predictions for this facet of the optimal immune strategy. Our results shed light on the causes of the heterogeneity found in immune defenses both within and among species and the ultimate variability of the relationship between life history and immune specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander E. Downie
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Andreas Mayer
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - C. Jessica E. Metcalf
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Andrea L. Graham
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
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8
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Jolles A, Gorsich E, Gubbins S, Beechler B, Buss P, Juleff N, de Klerk-Lorist LM, Maree F, Perez-Martin E, van Schalkwyk OL, Scott K, Zhang F, Medlock J, Charleston B. Endemic persistence of a highly contagious pathogen: Foot-and-mouth disease in its wildlife host. Science 2021; 374:104-109. [PMID: 34591637 DOI: 10.1126/science.abd2475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Extremely contagious pathogens are a global biosecurity threat because of their high burden of morbidity and mortality, as well as their capacity for fast-moving epidemics that are difficult to quell. Understanding the mechanisms enabling persistence of highly transmissible pathogens in host populations is thus a central problem in disease ecology. Through a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches, we investigated how highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease viruses persist in the African buffalo, which serves as their wildlife reservoir. We found that viral persistence through transmission among acutely infected hosts alone is unlikely. However, the inclusion of occasional transmission from persistently infected carriers reliably rescues the most infectious viral strain from fade-out. Additional mechanisms such as antigenic shift, loss of immunity, or spillover among host populations may be required for persistence of less transmissible strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Jolles
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Erin Gorsich
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.,Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Simon Gubbins
- The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK
| | - Brianna Beechler
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Peter Buss
- SANParks, Veterinary Wildlife Services, Kruger National Park, 1350 Skukuza, South Africa
| | - Nick Juleff
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Livestock Program, Seattle 98109, WA, USA
| | - Lin-Mari de Klerk-Lorist
- Office of the State Veterinarian, Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Government of South Africa, 1350 Skukuza, South Africa
| | - Francois Maree
- Vaccine and Diagnostic Research Programme, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Agricultural Research Council, Private Bag X05, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa.,South Africa Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Eva Perez-Martin
- The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK
| | - O L van Schalkwyk
- Office of the State Veterinarian, Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Government of South Africa, 1350 Skukuza, South Africa.,Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa.,Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1 Radolfzell, 78315, Germany
| | - Katherine Scott
- Vaccine and Diagnostic Research Programme, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Agricultural Research Council, Private Bag X05, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Fuquan Zhang
- Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jan Medlock
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Bryan Charleston
- The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK
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9
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Natural resistance to worms exacerbates bovine tuberculosis severity independently of worm coinfection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2015080118. [PMID: 33431676 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015080118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogen interactions arising during coinfection can exacerbate disease severity, for example when the immune response mounted against one pathogen negatively affects defense of another. It is also possible that host immune responses to a pathogen, shaped by historical evolutionary interactions between host and pathogen, may modify host immune defenses in ways that have repercussions for other pathogens. In this case, negative interactions between two pathogens could emerge even in the absence of concurrent infection. Parasitic worms and tuberculosis (TB) are involved in one of the most geographically extensive of pathogen interactions, and during coinfection worms can exacerbate TB disease outcomes. Here, we show that in a wild mammal natural resistance to worms affects bovine tuberculosis (BTB) severity independently of active worm infection. We found that worm-resistant individuals were more likely to die of BTB than were nonresistant individuals, and their disease progressed more quickly. Anthelmintic treatment moderated, but did not eliminate, the resistance effect, and the effects of resistance and treatment were opposite and additive, with untreated, resistant individuals experiencing the highest mortality. Furthermore, resistance and anthelmintic treatment had nonoverlapping effects on BTB pathology. The effects of resistance manifested in the lungs (the primary site of BTB infection), while the effects of treatment manifested almost entirely in the lymph nodes (the site of disseminated disease), suggesting that resistance and active worm infection affect BTB progression via distinct mechanisms. Our findings reveal that interactions between pathogens can occur as a consequence of processes arising on very different timescales.
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10
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Glidden CK, Coon CAC, Beechler BR, McNulty C, Ezenwa VO, Jolles AE. Co-infection best predicts respiratory viral infection in a wild host. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:602-614. [PMID: 33232513 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The dynamics of directly transmitted pathogens in natural populations are likely to result from the combined effects of host traits, pathogen biology, and interactions among pathogens within a host. Discovering how these factors work in concert to shape variation in pathogen dynamics in natural host-multi-pathogen systems is fundamental to understanding population health. Here, we describe temporal variation in incidence and then elucidate the effect of hosts trait, season and pathogen co-occurrence on host infection risk using one of the most comprehensive studies of co-infection in a wild population: a suite of seven directly transmitted viral and bacterial respiratory infections from a 4-year study of 200 free-ranging African buffalo Syncerus caffer. Incidence of upper respiratory infections was common throughout the study-five out of the seven pathogens appeared to be consistently circulating throughout our study population. One pathogen exhibited clear outbreak dynamics in our final study year and another was rarely detected. Co-infection was also common in this system: The strongest indicator of pathogen occurrence for respiratory viruses was in fact the presence of other viral respiratory infections. Host traits had minimal effects on odds of pathogen occurrence but did modify pathogen-pathogen associations. In contrast, only season predicted bacterial pathogen occurrence. Though a combination of environmental, behavioural, and physiological factors work together to shape disease dynamics, we found pathogen associations best determined infection risk. Our study demonstrates that, in the absence of very fine-scale data, the intricate changes among these factors are best represented by co-infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline K Glidden
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Courtney A C Coon
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Brianna R Beechler
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Chase McNulty
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Vanessa O Ezenwa
- Odum School of Ecology and Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Anna E Jolles
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
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11
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Koehler AV, Jabbar A, Hall RS, Gasser RB. A Targeted "Next-Generation" Sequencing-Informatic Approach to Define Genetic Diversity in Theileria orientalis Populations within Individual Cattle: Proof-of-Principle. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9060448. [PMID: 32517045 PMCID: PMC7350381 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9060448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Oriental theileriosis is an economically important tickborne disease of bovines, caused by some members of the Theileria orientalis complex. Currently, 11 distinct operational taxonomic units (OTUs), or genotypes, are recognized based on their major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene sequences. Two of these genotypes (i.e., chitose and ikeda) are recognized as pathogenic in cattle, causing significant disease in countries of the Asia-Pacific region. However, the true extent of genetic variation and associated virulence/pathogenicity within this complex is unknown. Here, we undertook a proof-of-principle study of a small panel of genomic DNAs (n = 13) from blood samples originating from individual cattle known to harbor T. orientalis, in order to assess the performance of a targeted “next-generation” sequencing-informatic approach to identify genotypes. Five genotypes (chitose, ikeda, buffeli, type 4, and type 5) were defined; multiple genotypes were found within individual samples, with dominant and minor sequence types representing most genotypes. This study indicates that this sequencing-informatic workflow could be useful to assess the nature and extent of genetic variation within and among populations of T. orientalis on a large scale, and to potentially employ panels of distinct gene markers for expanded molecular epidemiological investigations of socioeconomically important protistan pathogens more generally.
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12
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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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