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Moore CO, André MR, Šlapeta J, Breitschwerdt EB. Vector biology of the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis. Trends Parasitol 2024; 40:324-337. [PMID: 38458883 PMCID: PMC11168582 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.02.006] [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: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Ctenocephalides felis, the cat flea, is among the most prevalent and widely dispersed vectors worldwide. Unfortunately, research on C. felis and associated pathogens (Bartonella and Rickettsia spp.) lags behind that of other vectors and vector-borne pathogens. Therefore, we aimed to review fundamental aspects of C. felis as a vector (behavior, epidemiology, phylogenetics, immunology, and microbiome composition) with an emphasis on key techniques and research avenues employed in other vector species. Future laboratory C. felis experimental infections with Bartonella, Rickettsia, and Wolbachia species/strains should examine the vector-pathogen interface utilizing contemporary visualization, transcriptomic, and gene-editing techniques. Further environmental sampling will inform the range and prevalence of C. felis and associated pathogens, improving the accuracy of vector and pathogen modeling to improve infection/infestation risk assessment and diagnostic recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte O Moore
- Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Science, North Carolina State University, NC, USA
| | - Marcos Rogério André
- Vector-Borne Bioagents Laboratory (VBBL), Department of Pathology, Reproduction, and One Health, Faculty of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP 14884-900, Brazil
| | - Jan Šlapeta
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Edward B Breitschwerdt
- Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Science, North Carolina State University, NC, USA.
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2
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Mathew B, Aoyagi KL, Fisher MA. Antibacterial activity of Xenopsylla cheopis attacins against Yersinia pestis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.26.554949. [PMID: 38469151 PMCID: PMC10926665 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.26.554949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptide resistance has been proposed to play a major role in the flea-borne transmission of Yersinia pestis . However, the antimicrobial peptide response in fleas and their interaction with Y. pestis is largely unknown. Attacins are one of the most abundantly expressed antimicrobial peptides within the first hours after Y. pestis infection of Xenopsylla cheopis , a major vector of plague. In this study, we report the cloning, expression, and purification of two X. cheopis attacin peptides and describe their interactions with and antimicrobial activities against Y. pestis . These flea attacins were shown to bind lipopolysaccharides and have potent activity against Y. pestis , however the mechanism of killing does not involve extensive membrane damage. Treatment with attacins rapidly inhibits Y. pestis colony formation and results in oxidative stress, yet live-cell imaging revealed that bacteria continue to grow and divide for several hours in the presence of attacins before undergoing morphological changes and subsequent lysis. This data provides insights into an early battle between vector and pathogen that may impact transmission of one of the most virulent diseases known to man.
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Yang R, Atkinson S, Chen Z, Cui Y, Du Z, Han Y, Sebbane F, Slavin P, Song Y, Yan Y, Wu Y, Xu L, Zhang C, Zhang Y, Hinnebusch BJ, Stenseth NC, Motin VL. Yersinia pestis and Plague: some knowns and unknowns. ZOONOSES (BURLINGTON, MASS.) 2023; 3:5. [PMID: 37602146 PMCID: PMC10438918 DOI: 10.15212/zoonoses-2022-0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Since its first identification in 1894 during the third pandemic in Hong Kong, there has been significant progress of understanding the lifestyle of Yersinia pestis, the pathogen that is responsible for plague. Although we now have some understanding of the pathogen's physiology, genetics, genomics, evolution, gene regulation, pathogenesis and immunity, there are many unknown aspects of the pathogen and its disease development. Here, we focus on some of the knowns and unknowns relating to Y. pestis and plague. We notably focus on some key Y. pestis physiological and virulence traits that are important for its mammal-flea-mammal life cycle but also its emergence from the enteropathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Some aspects of the genetic diversity of Y. pestis, the distribution and ecology of plague as well as the medical countermeasures to protect our population are also provided. Lastly, we present some biosafety and biosecurity information related to Y. pestis and plague.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruifu Yang
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Steve Atkinson
- School of Life Sciences, Centre for Biomolecular Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ziqi Chen
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yujun Cui
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Zongmin Du
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Yanping Han
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Florent Sebbane
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Philip Slavin
- Division of History and Politics, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LJ, UK
| | - Yajun Song
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Yanfeng Yan
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Yarong Wu
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Lei Xu
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Chutian Zhang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - B. Joseph Hinnebusch
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Vladimir L. Motin
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
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André MR, Neupane P, Lappin M, Herrin B, Smith V, Williams TI, Collins L, Bai H, Jorge GL, Balbuena TS, Bradley J, Maggi RG, Breitschwerdt EB. Using Proteomic Approaches to Unravel the Response of Ctenocephalides felis felis to Blood Feeding and Infection With Bartonella henselae. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:828082. [PMID: 35155282 PMCID: PMC8831700 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.828082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the Ctenocephalides felis felis-borne pathogens, Bartonella henselae, the main aetiological agent of cat scratch disease (CSD), is of increasing comparative biomedical importance. Despite the importance of B. henselae as an emergent pathogen, prevention of the diseases caused by this agent in cats, dogs and humans mostly relies on the use of ectoparasiticides. A vaccine targeting both flea fitness and pathogen competence is an attractive choice requiring the identification of flea proteins/metabolites with a dual effect. Even though recent developments in vector and pathogen -omics have advanced the understanding of the genetic factors and molecular pathways involved at the tick-pathogen interface, leading to discovery of candidate protective antigens, only a few studies have focused on the interaction between fleas and flea-borne pathogens. Taking into account the period of time needed for B. henselae replication in flea digestive tract, the present study investigated flea-differentially abundant proteins (FDAP) in unfed fleas, fleas fed on uninfected cats, and fleas fed on B. henselae-infected cats at 24 hours and 9 days after the beginning of blood feeding. Proteomics approaches were designed and implemented to interrogate differentially expressed proteins, so as to gain a better understanding of proteomic changes associated with the initial B. henselae transmission period (24 hour timepoint) and a subsequent time point 9 days after blood ingestion and flea infection. As a result, serine proteases, ribosomal proteins, proteasome subunit α-type, juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase 1, vitellogenin C, allantoinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, glycinamide ribotide transformylase, secreted salivary acid phosphatase had high abundance in response of C. felis blood feeding and/or infection by B. henselae. In contrast, high abundance of serpin-1, arginine kinase, ribosomal proteins, peritrophin-like protein, and FS-H/FSI antigen family member 3 was strongly associated with unfed cat fleas. Findings from this study provide insights into proteomic response of cat fleas to B. henselae infected and uninfected blood meal, as well as C. felis response to invading B. henselae over an infection time course, thus helping understand the complex interactions between cat fleas and B. henselae at protein levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Rogério André
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Department of Pathology, Reproduction and One Health, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, Brazil
- Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, The Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Pradeep Neupane
- Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, The Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Michael Lappin
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Center for Companion Animal Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Brian Herrin
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States
| | - Vicki Smith
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States
| | - Taufika Islam Williams
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Molecular Education, Technology and Research Innovation Center (METRIC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Leonard Collins
- Molecular Education, Technology and Research Innovation Center (METRIC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Hongxia Bai
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Molecular Education, Technology and Research Innovation Center (METRIC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Gabriel Lemes Jorge
- Departmento de Biotecnologia Agropecuária e Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | - Tiago Santana Balbuena
- Departmento de Biotecnologia Agropecuária e Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | - Julie Bradley
- Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, The Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Ricardo G. Maggi
- Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, The Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Edward B. Breitschwerdt
- Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, The Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- *Correspondence: Edward B. Breitschwerdt,
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Acquisition of yersinia murine toxin enabled Yersinia pestis to expand the range of mammalian hosts that sustain flea-borne plague. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009995. [PMID: 34648607 PMCID: PMC8547695 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Yersinia murine toxin (Ymt) is a phospholipase D encoded on a plasmid acquired by Yersinia pestis after its recent divergence from a Yersinia pseudotuberculosis progenitor. Despite its name, Ymt is not required for virulence but acts to enhance bacterial survival in the flea digestive tract. Certain Y. pestis strains circulating in the Bronze Age lacked Ymt, suggesting that they were not transmitted by fleas. However, we show that the importance of Ymt varies with host blood source. In accordance with the original description, Ymt greatly enhanced Y. pestis survival in fleas infected with bacteremic mouse, human, or black rat blood. In contrast, Ymt was much less important when fleas were infected using brown rat blood. A Y. pestis Ymt- mutant infected fleas nearly as well as the Ymt+ parent strain after feeding on bacteremic brown rat blood, and the mutant was transmitted efficiently by flea bite during the first weeks after infection. The protective function of Ymt correlated with red blood cell digestion kinetics in the flea gut. Thus, early Y. pestis strains that lacked Ymt could have been maintained in flea-brown rat transmission cycles, and perhaps in other hosts with similar blood characteristics. Acquisition of Ymt, however, served to greatly expand the range of hosts that could support flea-borne plague.
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Brown LD, Maness R, Hall C, Gibson JD. Reactive oxygen species-mediated immunity against bacterial infection in the gut of cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis). INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 136:103620. [PMID: 34216781 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2021.103620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Fleas (Order Siphonaptera) transmit numerous bacterial pathogens that cause severe human diseases (e.g., cat scratch disease, flea-borne spotted fever, murine typhus, plague). Because initial entry of these infectious agents occurs while blood feeding, the immune response in the flea gut is considered to be the first line of defense against invading microbes. However, relatively few studies have identified the flea immune molecules that effectively resist or limit infection in the gut. In other hematophagous insects, an immediate immune response to imbibed pathogens is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we utilized cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) to investigate whether oral infection with a well-known insect bacterial pathogen (Serratia marcescens) induces ROS synthesis in the flea gut, and whether production of ROS provides a defense mechanism against microbial colonization. Specifically, we treated fleas with an antioxidant to limit the number of free radicals in the digestive tract prior to infection, and then measured the following: S. marcescens infection loads, hydrogen peroxide (ROS) levels, and mRNA abundance of ROS signaling pathway genes. Overall, our data shows that ROS levels increase in response to infection in the flea gut, and that this increase helps to strengthen the flea immune response through the microbicidal activity of ROS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa D Brown
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, 4324 Old Register Rd., Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA.
| | - Ryne Maness
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, 4324 Old Register Rd., Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA
| | - Clark Hall
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, 4324 Old Register Rd., Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA
| | - Joshua D Gibson
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, 4324 Old Register Rd., Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA
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Mathew B, Aoyagi KL, Fisher MA. Yersinia pestis Lipopolysaccharide Remodeling Confers Resistance to a Xenopsylla cheopis Cecropin. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:2536-2545. [PMID: 34319069 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Fleas are major vectors of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague. It has been proposed that Y. pestis has developed the ability to overcome the innate immune responses of fleas. Despite the fact that they transmit a number of bacterial infections, very little is known about the immune responses in fleas. In this study, we describe the antimicrobial activities of a cecropin from Xenopsylla cheopis (cheopin), an efficient vector for Y. pestis in the wild. This is the first cecropin-class antimicrobial peptide described from Siphonaptera insects. Cheopin showed potent activity against Gram-negative bacteria but little activity against wild-type Y. pestis KIM6+. Deletion of the aminoarabinose operon, which is responsible for the 4-amino-4-deoxy-l-arabinose (Ara4N) modification of LPS, rendered Y. pestis highly susceptible to cheopin. Confocal microscopy and whole cell binding assays indicated that Ara4N modification reduces the affinity of cheopin for Y. pestis. Further, cheopin only permeabilized bacterial membranes in the absence of Ara4N-modified LPS, which was correlated with bacterial killing. This study provides insights into innate immunity of the flea and evidence for the crucial role of Ara4N modification of Y. pestis LPS in conferring resistance against flea antimicrobial peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basil Mathew
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Kari L. Aoyagi
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Mark A. Fisher
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
- ARUP Laboratories, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
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Danchenko M, Laukaitis HJ, Macaluso KR. Dynamic gene expression in salivary glands of the cat flea during Rickettsia felis infection. Pathog Dis 2021; 79:6189691. [PMID: 33770162 PMCID: PMC8062234 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftab020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is an arthropod vector capable of transmitting several human pathogens including Rickettsia species. Earlier studies identified Rickettsia felis in the salivary glands of the cat flea and transmission of rickettsiae during arthropod feeding. The saliva of hematophagous insects contains multiple biomolecules with anticlotting, vasodilatory and immunomodulatory activities. Notably, the exact role of salivary factors in the molecular interaction between flea-borne rickettsiae and their insect host is still largely unknown. To determine if R. felis modulates gene expression in the cat flea salivary glands, cat fleas were infected with R. felis and transcription patterns of selected salivary gland-derived factors, including antimicrobial peptides and flea-specific antigens, were assessed. Salivary glands were microdissected from infected and control cat fleas at different time points after exposure and total RNA was extracted and subjected to reverse-transcriptase quantitative PCR for gene expression analysis. During the experimental 10-day feeding period, a dynamic change in gene expression of immunity-related transcripts and salivary antigens between the two experimental groups was detected. The data indicated that defensin-2 (Cf-726), glycine-rich antimicrobial peptide (Cf-83), salivary antigens (Cf-169 and Cf-65) and deorphanized peptide (Cf-75) are flea-derived factors responsive to rickettsial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Danchenko
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, 610 Clinic Drive, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
| | - Hanna J Laukaitis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, 610 Clinic Drive, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
| | - Kevin R Macaluso
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, 610 Clinic Drive, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
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Hinnebusch BJ, Jarrett CO, Bland DM. Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms That Mediate Transmission of Yersinia pestis by Fleas. Biomolecules 2021; 11:210. [PMID: 33546271 PMCID: PMC7913351 DOI: 10.3390/biom11020210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to cause plague in mammals represents only half of the life history of Yersinia pestis. It is also able to colonize and produce a transmissible infection in the digestive tract of the flea, its insect host. Parallel to studies of the molecular mechanisms by which Y. pestis is able to overcome the immune response of its mammalian hosts, disseminate, and produce septicemia, studies of Y. pestis-flea interactions have led to the identification and characterization of important factors that lead to transmission by flea bite. Y. pestis adapts to the unique conditions in the flea gut by altering its metabolic physiology in ways that promote biofilm development, a common strategy by which bacteria cope with a nutrient-limited environment. Biofilm localization to the flea foregut disrupts normal fluid dynamics of blood feeding, resulting in regurgitative transmission. Many of the important genes, regulatory pathways, and molecules required for this process have been identified and are reviewed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Joseph Hinnebusch
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA; (C.O.J.); (D.M.B.)
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