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Narum S, Kelley J, Fountain-Jones N, Hooper R, Ortiz-Barrientos D, O'Boyle B, Sibbett B. Editorial 2021. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 21:1-10. [PMID: 33332771 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Ortiz-Baez AS, Cousins K, Eden JS, Chang WS, Harvey E, Pettersson JHO, Carver S, Polkinghorne A, Šlapeta J, Rose K, Holmes EC. Meta-transcriptomic identification of Trypanosoma spp. in native wildlife species from Australia. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:447. [PMID: 32891158 PMCID: PMC7487544 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04325-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Wildlife species carry a remarkable diversity of trypanosomes. The detection of trypanosome infection in native Australian fauna is central to understanding their diversity and host-parasite associations. The implementation of total RNA sequencing (meta-transcriptomics) in trypanosome surveillance and diagnosis provides a powerful methodological approach to better understand the host species distribution of this important group of parasites. Methods We implemented a meta-transcriptomic approach to detect trypanosomes in a variety of tissues (brain, liver, lung, skin, gonads) sampled from native Australian wildlife, comprising four marsupials (koala, Phascolarctos cinereus; southern brown bandicoot, Isoodon obesulus; swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor; bare-nosed wombat, Vombatus ursinus), one bird (regent honeyeater, Anthochaera phrygia) and one amphibian (eastern dwarf tree frog, Litoria fallax). Samples corresponded to both clinically healthy and diseased individuals. Sequencing reads were de novo assembled into contigs and annotated. The evolutionary relationships among the trypanosomatid sequences identified were determined through phylogenetic analysis of 18S rRNA sequences. Results We detected trypanosome sequences in all six species of vertebrates sampled, with positive samples in multiple organs and tissues confirmed by PCR. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the trypanosomes infecting marsupials were related to those previously detected in placental and marsupial mammals, while the trypanosome in the regent honeyeater grouped with avian trypanosomes. In contrast, we provide the first evidence for a trypanosome in the eastern dwarf tree frog that was phylogenetically distinct from those described in other amphibians. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first meta-transcriptomic analysis of trypanosomes in native Australian wildlife, expanding the known genetic diversity of these important parasites. We demonstrated that RNA sequencing is sufficiently sensitive to detect low numbers of Trypanosoma transcripts and from diverse hosts and tissues types, thereby representing an effective means to detect trypanosomes that are divergent in genome sequence.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayda Susana Ortiz-Baez
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life & Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kate Cousins
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life & Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - John-Sebastian Eden
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life & Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Centre for Virus Research, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Wei-Shan Chang
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life & Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Erin Harvey
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life & Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - John H-O Pettersson
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life & Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Zoonosis Science Center, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Scott Carver
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Adam Polkinghorne
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NSW Health Pathology, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, NSW, Australia.,The University of Sydney Medical School, Nepean Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Jan Šlapeta
- Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Sydney School of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Karrie Rose
- Australian Registry of Wildlife Health, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Mosman, NSW, Australia
| | - Edward C Holmes
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, School of Life & Environmental Sciences and School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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Luna N, Varela AI, Luna-Jorquera G, Brokordt K. Effect of predation risk and ectoparasitic louse flies on physiological stress condition of the red-tailed tropicbird ( Phaethon rubricauda) from Rapa Nui and Salas & Gómez islands. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9088. [PMID: 32714650 PMCID: PMC7353918 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Introduced predators at seabird colonies and parasites may have lethal and/or sub-lethal consequences for bird populations. We assessed the potential sub-lethal negative effects of these stressors in a native seabird listed as vulnerable in its south-eastern pacific distribution. This study was conducted in two red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) colonies, one located in Rapa Nui Island, which is threatened by the presence of introduced predators, and the other located in Salas & Gómez Island, which has no introduced predators, but birds are infested by ectoparasitic louse flies. Methods The effects on physiological stress traits of both, predation risk on different nest types (protected and exposed) on Rapa Nui, and different levels of louse flies' parasitic loads on Salas & Gómez were studied. Three variables were analyzed: the heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio, the transcriptional levels of mRNA HSP70 in blood, and the body condition. These stress indicators and leukocyte counts were compared between colonies. Results No significant differences were found in any stress indicator between different nest types within Rapa Nui, showing that the effect of predator's presence was the same for adults nesting in both, protected and exposed nests. No significant correlation was found between louse flies' parasitic loads and any stress indicators in the birds of Salas & Gómez. Also, there was no difference in any stress indicator between islands. However, a significant opposite trend between islands was found in the eosinophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte counts when related to body condition. Conclusions We found a lack of significant differentiation in all the stress level indicators assessed within and between islands. The presence of louse flies in Salas & Gómez vs. the absence of this parasite at Rapa Nui may be the cause for the significant difference in the trend of eosinophil, lymphocyte and monocyte counts between the islands. However, further studies are necessary to elucidate the reason for this difference and to better investigate the lethal effects of introduced predators on the Rapa Nui colony to evaluate appropriate conservation measures for this native seabird.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Luna
- Millennium Nucleus for Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands (ESMOI), Departamento de Biologia Marina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile.,Programa de Magister en Ciencias del Mar Mención Recursos Costeros, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Andrea I Varela
- Millennium Nucleus for Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands (ESMOI), Departamento de Biologia Marina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Guillermo Luna-Jorquera
- Millennium Nucleus for Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands (ESMOI), Departamento de Biologia Marina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile.,Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Katherina Brokordt
- Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile.,Laboratorio de Fisiología y Genética Marina (FIGEMA), Departamento de Acuicultura, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
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