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Videvall E, Palinauskas V, Valkiūnas G, Hellgren O. Host Transcriptional Responses to High- and Low-Virulent Avian Malaria Parasites. Am Nat 2020; 195:1070-1084. [DOI: 10.1086/708530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Ellis VA, Huang X, Westerdahl H, Jönsson J, Hasselquist D, Neto JM, Nilsson J, Nilsson J, Hegemann A, Hellgren O, Bensch S. Explaining prevalence, diversity and host specificity in a community of avian haemosporidian parasites. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo A. Ellis
- Dept of Biology, Lund Univ., Ecology Building SE‐223 62 Lund Sweden
- Dept of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, Univ. of Delaware Newark DE 19716 USA
| | - Xi Huang
- Dept of Biology, Lund Univ., Ecology Building SE‐223 62 Lund Sweden
- College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal Univ. Beijing PR China
| | | | - Jane Jönsson
- Dept of Biology, Lund Univ., Ecology Building SE‐223 62 Lund Sweden
| | | | - Júlio M. Neto
- Dept of Biology, Lund Univ., Ecology Building SE‐223 62 Lund Sweden
| | - Jan‐Åke Nilsson
- Dept of Biology, Lund Univ., Ecology Building SE‐223 62 Lund Sweden
| | - Johan Nilsson
- Dept of Biology, Lund Univ., Ecology Building SE‐223 62 Lund Sweden
| | - Arne Hegemann
- Dept of Biology, Lund Univ., Ecology Building SE‐223 62 Lund Sweden
| | - Olof Hellgren
- Dept of Biology, Lund Univ., Ecology Building SE‐223 62 Lund Sweden
| | - Staffan Bensch
- Dept of Biology, Lund Univ., Ecology Building SE‐223 62 Lund Sweden
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Zhang J, Lu G, Kelly P, Li J, Li M, Wang J, Huang K, Qiu H, You J, Zhang R, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Wang C. First molecular detection of Plasmodium relictum in Anopheles sinensis and Armigeres subalbatus. Open Vet J 2020; 10:39-43. [PMID: 32426255 PMCID: PMC7193872 DOI: 10.4314/ovj.v10i1.7] [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: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Plasmodium relictum is one of the most important avian malaria species, which is mainly seen in wild birds, with infections reported in more than 70 different species and at high prevalence. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the molecular prevalence of Plasmodium spp. in mosquitoes collected in China. Method: A Plasmodium -specific fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was established in this study to analyze five species of mosquitoes (1,620 Culex pipiens pallens, 806 Aedes albopictus, 377 Armigeres subalbatus, 168 Anopheles sinensis, and 80 Culex tritaeniorhynchus) collected in hand nets from homes in 25 provinces of China. Results: Only females originated from six provinces were determined to be positive (0.6%, 10/1,809). Plasmodium species were detected in three mosquito species, such as C.pipiens pallens (0.5%, 8/1,620), A.sinensis (0.6%, 1/168), and A.subalbatus (0.3%, 1/377). Of the three mosquito species positive for P. relictum, only C. pipiens pallens is known to feed on birds and is recognized as the natural vector of P. relictum. Conclusion: This is the first time that P. relictum has been detected in A. sinensis and A. subalbatus. P. relictum, the agent of avian malaria, was present in mosquitoes in China, including mosquito species not previously thought to be the vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jilei Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.,Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Guangwu Lu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Patrick Kelly
- Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
| | - Jing Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Min Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Jiawei Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Ke Huang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Haixiang Qiu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Jinfeng You
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Yaoyao Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Chengming Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
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Development and optimization of a high-throughput screening method utilizing Ancylostoma ceylanicum egg hatching to identify novel anthelmintics. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217019. [PMID: 31158236 PMCID: PMC6546214 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Hookworms remain a major health burden in the developing world, with hundreds of millions currently afflicted by these blood-feeding parasites. There exists a vital need for the discovery of novel drugs and identification of parasite drug targets for the development of chemotherapies. New drug development requires the identification of compounds that target molecules essential to parasite survival and preclinical testing in robust, standardized animal models of human disease. This process can prove costly and time consuming using conventional, low-throughput methods. We have developed a novel high-throughput screen (HTS) to identify anthelmintics for the treatment of soil-transmitted helminths. Our high-throughput, plate reader-based assay was used to rapidly assess compound toxicity to Ancylostoma ceylanicum L1 larva. Using this method, we screened 39,568 compounds from several small molecule screening libraries at 10 μM and identified 830 bioactive compounds that inhibit egg hatching of the human hookworm A. ceylanicum by >50%. Of these, 132 compounds inhibited hookworm egg hatching by >90% compared to controls. The nematicidal activities of 268 compounds were verified by retesting in the egg hatching assay and were also tested for toxicity against the human HeLa cell line at 10 μM. Fifty-nine compounds were verified to inhibit A. ceylanicum egg hatching by >80% and were <20% toxic to HeLa cells. Half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were determined for the 59 hit compounds and ranged from 0.05–8.94 μM. This stringent advancement of compounds was designed to 1) systematically assess the nematicidal activity of novel compounds against the egg stage of A. ceylanicum hookworms in culture and 2) define their chemotherapeutic potential in vivo by evaluating their toxicity to human cells. Information gained from these experiments may directly contribute to the development of new drugs for the treatment of human hookworm disease.
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de Oliveira L, Cedrola F, Senra MVX, Scopel KKG, Martinele I, Tostes R, Dias RJP, D'Agosto M. Polymorphism evidence in Plasmodium (Haemamoeba) lutzi Lucena, 1939 (Apicomplexa, Haemosporida) isolated from Brazilian wild birds. Parasitol Int 2019; 70:70-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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Videvall E. Genomic Advances in Avian Malaria Research. Trends Parasitol 2019; 35:254-266. [PMID: 30642725 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2018.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 12/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Haemosporidian parasites causing malaria-like diseases in birds are globally distributed and have been associated with reduced host fitness and mortality in susceptible bird species. This group of parasites has not only enabled a greater understanding of host specificity, virulence, and parasite dispersal, but has also been crucial in restructuring the evolutionary history of apicomplexans. Despite their importance, genomic resources of avian haemosporidians have proved difficult to obtain, and they have, as a result, been lagging behind the congeneric Plasmodium species infecting mammals. In this review, I discuss recent genomic advances in the field of avian malaria research, and outline outstanding questions that will become possible to investigate with the continued successful efforts to generate avian haemosporidian genomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elin Videvall
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
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Palinauskas V, Bernotienė R, Žiegytė R, Bensch S, Valkiūnas G. Experimental evidence for hybridization of closely related lineages in Plasmodium relictum. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2017; 217:1-6. [PMID: 28803842 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2017.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Over 50 avian Plasmodium species have been described. However, PCR-based information shows much broader diversity of genetic lineages in these parasites. This discrepancy indicates insufficient knowledge about taxonomic diversity and boundaries of a single species in avian Plasmodium species. In recent taxonomy, most of genetically closely related lineages that share the same morphology and development patterns are attributed to the same biological species, but there is no information if these lineages are able to cross. This information is crucial to understand if these lineages form single or multiple evolutionary units. Due to presence of sexual process and sporogonic development of Plasmodium parasites in mosquitoes, self and cross-fertilization can occur and be identified during the oocyst stage. We initiated in vivo hybridization experiments of two widespread Plasmodium relictum lineages (pSGS1 and pGRW11) in experimentally infected Culex pipiens pipiens form molestus mosquitoes. To study putative hybrid oocysts, we used a laser microdissection technique together with PCR-based analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. We demonstrate that both pSGS1 and pGRW11 lineages develop in infected mosquitoes in parallel, but also form hybrid oocysts of these two lineages. Our results are in accord to a recent global phylogeographic study of P. relictum that suggested that cross-fertilization between pSGS1 and pGRW11 might occur. This information helps to understand population structure, gene flow and the evolutionary process of haemosporidian parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rasa Bernotienė
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Rita Žiegytė
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Staffan Bensch
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
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Harvey-Samuel T, Ant T, Alphey L. Towards the genetic control of invasive species. Biol Invasions 2017; 19:1683-1703. [PMID: 28620268 PMCID: PMC5446844 DOI: 10.1007/s10530-017-1384-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 02/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Invasive species remain one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. Their control would be enhanced through the development of more effective and sustainable pest management strategies. Recently, a novel form of genetic pest management (GPM) has been developed in which the mating behaviour of insect pests is exploited to introduce genetically engineered DNA sequences into wild conspecific populations. These 'transgenes' work in one or more ways to reduce the damage caused by a particular pest, for example reducing its density, or its ability to vector disease. Although currently being developed for use against economically important insect pests, these technologies would be highly appropriate for application against invasive species that threaten biodiversity. Importantly, these technologies have begun to advance in scope beyond insects to vertebrates, which include some of the world's worst invasives. Here we review the current state of this rapidly progressing field and, using an established set of eradication criteria, discuss the characteristics which make GPM technologies suitable for application against invasive pests.
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Cheba BA, Zaghloul TI, EL-Mahdy AR, EL-Massry MH. Effect of pH and Temperature on Bacillus sp. R2 Chitinase Activity and Stability. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.protcy.2016.01.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Specialist enemies, generalist weapons and the potential spread of exotic pathogens: malaria parasites in a highly invasive bird. Int J Parasitol 2015; 45:891-9. [PMID: 26433143 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2015.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Revised: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Pathogens can influence the success of invaders. The Enemy Release Hypothesis predicts invaders encounter reduced pathogen abundance and diversity, while the Novel Weapons Hypothesis predicts invaders carry novel pathogens that spill over to competitors. We tested these hypotheses using avian malaria (haemosporidian) infections in the invasive myna (Acridotheres tristis), which was introduced to southeastern Australia from India and was secondarily expanded to the eastern Australian coast. Mynas and native Australian birds were screened in the secondary introduction range for haemosporidians (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus spp.) and results were combined with published data from the myna's primary introduction and native ranges. We compared malaria prevalence and diversity across myna populations to test for Enemy Release and used phylogeographic analyses to test for exotic strains acting as Novel Weapons. Introduced mynas carried significantly lower parasite diversity than native mynas and significantly lower Haemoproteus prevalence than native Australian birds. Despite commonly infecting native species that directly co-occur with mynas, Haemoproteus spp. were only recorded in introduced mynas in the primary introduction range and were apparently lost during secondary expansion. In contrast, Plasmodium infections were common in all ranges and prevalence was significantly higher in both introduced and native mynas than in native Australian birds. Introduced mynas carried several exotic Plasmodium lineages that were shared with native mynas, some of which also infected native Australian birds and two of which are highly invasive in other bioregions. Our results suggest that introduced mynas may benefit through escape from Haemoproteus spp. while acting as important reservoirs for Plasmodium spp., some of which are known exotic lineages.
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Sehgal RN. Manifold habitat effects on the prevalence and diversity of avian blood parasites. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE 2015; 4:421-30. [PMID: 26835250 PMCID: PMC4699977 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2015.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Revised: 08/30/2015] [Accepted: 09/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Habitats are rapidly changing across the planet and the consequences will have major and long-lasting effects on wildlife and their parasites. Birds harbor many types of blood parasites, but because of their relatively high prevalence and ease of diagnosis, it is the haemosporidians – Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon – that are the best studied in terms of ecology and evolution. For parasite transmission to occur, environmental conditions must be permissive, and given the many constraints on the competency of parasites, vectors and hosts, it is rather remarkable that these parasites are so prevalent and successful. Over the last decade, a rapidly growing body of literature has begun to clarify how environmental factors affect birds and the insects that vector their hematozoan parasites. Moreover, several studies have modeled how anthropogenic effects such as global climate change, deforestation and urbanization will impact the dynamics of parasite transmission. This review highlights recent research that impacts our understanding of how habitat and environmental changes can affect the distribution, diversity, prevalence and parasitemia of these avian blood parasites. Given the importance of environmental factors on transmission, it remains essential that researchers studying avian hematozoa document abiotic factors such as temperature, moisture and landscape elements. Ultimately, this continued research has the potential to inform conservation policies and help avert the loss of bird species and threatened habitats. Review of recent literature studying habitat effects on avian blood parasites. Habitat affects the prevalence, parasitemia, distribution and diversity of avian hematozoa. Environmental conditions must be permissive for parasite transmission to occur. Anthropogenic environmental changes will affect host–vector–parasite interactions.
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