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Šneideris D, Moskaliova D, Butkauskas D, Prakas P. The Distribution of Sarcocsytis Species Described by Ungulates-Canids Life Cycle in Intestines of Small Predators of the Family Mustelidae. Acta Parasitol 2024:10.1007/s11686-024-00814-1. [PMID: 38413556 DOI: 10.1007/s11686-024-00814-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Using molecular techniques, we have previously shown that carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae might be common definitive hosts for various protozoan Sarcocystis species. In the present study we aimed to unravel whether Sarcocystis species using ungulates as intermediate hosts and canids or felids as definitive hosts can be found in intestine of mustelids. METHODS Small intestine samples of 93 individual mustelids of five different species from Lithuania were examined. Sarcocystis species were identified based on species-specific PCR and subsequent cox1 sequencing. RESULTS Six Sarcocystis species (S. arieticanis, S. bertrami, S. capracanis, S. capreolicanis, S. linearis and S. morae) defined by ungulate-canid life cycle were detected for the first time in small intestines of mustelids. By contrast, the prevalence of Sarcocystis characterised by ungulate-felid life cycle was low (3.2%). Overall, 76% of the examined animals were positive for at least one of the studied Sarcocystis species. Four species, S. arieticanis, S. bertrami, S. capracanis and S. morae were most commonly found, with the detection rate of about 40%. CONCLUSIONS The current finding, in addition to our previous studies, suggests that mustelids play an important role in the spread of various Sarcocystis species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Petras Prakas
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Prakas P, Estruch J, Velarde R, Ilgūnas M, Šneideris D, Nicolás-Francisco O, Marco I, Calero-Bernal R. First report of Sarcocystis halieti (Apicomplexa) in bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus). Vet Res Commun 2024; 48:541-546. [PMID: 37556068 PMCID: PMC10811024 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-023-10191-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
At least three Sarcocystis species (S. falcatula, S. halieti and S. wobeseri-like) have been detected infecting raptorial birds. By histopathology and PCR-sequencing of the ITS1 marker, S. halieti was detected in a bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) and a black kite (Milvus migrans) from the Catalonia region in North Spain. The 241 bp-long sequences obtained from the Sarcocystis organisms detected in both raptors showed 97.5-99.6% and 97.9-100% similarity with those of previously identified S. halieti; also, the phylogenetic trees generated placed the identified sequences together with other sequences of S. halieti available in GenBank. In sum, the description of the bearded vulture as a new intermediate host for S. halieti adds new insights on the complex epidemiology of the genus involving avian hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petras Prakas
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, Vilnius, 08412, Lithuania
| | - Josep Estruch
- Wildlife Ecology and Health group (WE&H) and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Roser Velarde
- Wildlife Ecology and Health group (WE&H) and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Mikas Ilgūnas
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, Vilnius, 08412, Lithuania
| | | | - Olga Nicolás-Francisco
- Forestal Catalana, Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda (Government of Catalonia), Lleida, 25595, Spain
| | - Ignasi Marco
- Wildlife Conservation Medicine group (WildCoM), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Rafael Calero-Bernal
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary, SALUVET, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, 28040, Spain.
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Jankovska-Bortkevič E, Jurkonienė S, Gavelienė V, Šveikauskas V, Mockevičiūtė R, Vaseva I, Todorova D, Žižytė-Eidetienė M, Šneideris D, Prakas P. Dynamics of Polyamines, Proline, and Ethylene Metabolism under Increasing Cold in Winter Oilseed Rape. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11402. [PMID: 37511158 PMCID: PMC10379363 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cold stress is among the most important environmental factors reducing the yield of crops. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of increasing cold stress conditions on winter oilseed rape polyamines, proline, and ethylene metabolism in acclimated and non-acclimated winter oilseed rape. This study was carried out under controlled conditions in the laboratory. The winter oilseed rape hybrid 'Visby' was used in the experiment. Acclimated and non-acclimated plants were subjected to a two-day-long increasing cold (from -1 °C to -3 °C) treatment. HPTLC, RT-qPCR, spectral analysis, and gas chromatography methods were used to analyse the levels of polyamines, gene expression, proline, and ethylene, respectively. This study showed a decrease in putrescine, spermidine, and spermine content during cold acclimation and a decrease in putrescine and spermidine levels at sub-zero temperatures. There were intensive changes in ADC2 gene expression, proline, and ethylene levels in non-acclimated plants: a substantial increase after exposure to -1 °C temperature and a sharp decrease after exposure to -3 °C temperature. The changes in these parameters were lower or absent in acclimated plants. The phenomena observed in this study add new insights to the knowledge about the plant stress response and suggest questions to be answered in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sigita Jurkonienė
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | | | | | - Rima Mockevičiūtė
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Irina Vaseva
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str. Bl. 21, BG-1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Dessislava Todorova
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str. Bl. 21, BG-1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | | | - Donatas Šneideris
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Petras Prakas
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, Lithuania
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Prakas P, Stirkė V, Šneideris D, Rakauskaitė P, Butkauskas D, Balčiauskas L. Protozoan Parasites of Sarcocystis spp. in Rodents from Commercial Orchards. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2087. [PMID: 37443884 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Small mammals are an important group of wildlife that can transmit pathogens to humans and animals. There is a lack of comprehensive studies on the protozoan parasites of the genus Sarcocystis in agricultural areas. The aim of the current research was to evaluate the prevalence of Sarcocystis spp., and to identify the parasite species found in the skeletal muscles of rodents and insectivores from commercial orchards. A total of 679 muscle samples from small mammals, mainly rodents (n = 674), belonging to eight species were examined. Muscle samples were pooled into groups, then digested, and the presence of the Sarcocystis species was confirmed by molecular methods. The examined parasites were determined in five rodent species, Apodemus agrarius, A. flavicollis, Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus arvalis, and M. oeconomus. The prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. was low: 2.23% in voles and 0.79% in mice. Based on a sequence comparison of cox1 and 28S rDNA, four species were identified: S. myodes, Sarcocystis cf. strixi, Sarcocystis sp. Rod1, and Sarcocystis sp. Rod2. This is the first report of S. myodes in A. agrarius, A. flavicollis, and M. arvalis. The identified species were most closely related to Sarcocystis spp., and were transmitted by predatory mammals and birds. Future studies are needed to describe the species morphologically, as well as to define the host spectrum and to evaluate their possible pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petras Prakas
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania
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Supronienė S, Kadžienė G, Shamshitov A, Veršulienė A, Šneideris D, Ivanauskas A, Žvirdauskienė R. Soil Fungistasis against Fusarium Graminearum under Different tillage Systems. Plants (Basel) 2023; 12:966. [PMID: 36840316 PMCID: PMC9961288 DOI: 10.3390/plants12040966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The establishment of the harmful pathogen Fusarium graminearum in different agroecosystems may strongly depend on the ability of the soils to suppress its development and survival. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different soil tillage systems (i.e., conventional tillage, reduced tillage and no-tillage) on soil fungistasis against F. graminearum. Soil samples were collected three times during the plant growing season in 2016 and 2017 from a long-term, 20-year soil tillage experiment. The F. graminearum in the soil samples was quantified by real-time qPCR. The soil fungistasis was evaluated by the reduction in the radial growth of F. graminearum in an in vitro assay. The antagonistic activity of the soil bacteria was tested using the dual culture method. The F. graminearum DNA contents in the soils were negatively correlated with soil fungistasis (r = -0.649 *). F. graminearum growth on the unfumigated soil was reduced by 70-87% compared to the chloroform fumigated soil. After the plant vegetation renewal, the soil fungistasis intensity was higher in the conventionally tilled fields than in the no-tillage. However, no significant differences were obtained among the tillage treatments at the mid-plant growth stage and after harvesting. 23 out of 104 bacteria isolated from the soil had a moderate effect, and only 1 had a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of F. graminearum. This bacterium was assigned 100% similarity to the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Hy7 strain (gene bank no: JN382250) according to the sequence of the 16S ribosome subunit coding gene. The results of our study suggest that the presence of F. graminearum in soil is suppressed by soil fungistasis; however, the role of tillage is influenced by other factors, such as soil biological activity, type and quantity of plant residues and environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skaidrė Supronienė
- Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Instituto al. 1, Akademija, LT−58344 Kedainiai Distr., Lithuania
| | - Gražina Kadžienė
- Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Instituto al. 1, Akademija, LT−58344 Kedainiai Distr., Lithuania
| | - Arman Shamshitov
- Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Instituto al. 1, Akademija, LT−58344 Kedainiai Distr., Lithuania
| | - Agnė Veršulienė
- Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Instituto al. 1, Akademija, LT−58344 Kedainiai Distr., Lithuania
| | - Donatas Šneideris
- Nature Research Centre, Akademijos str. 2, LT−608412 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | | | - Renata Žvirdauskienė
- Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Instituto al. 1, Akademija, LT−58344 Kedainiai Distr., Lithuania
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Juozaitytė-Ngugu E, Švažas S, Šneideris D, Rudaitytė-Lukošienė E, Butkauskas D, Prakas P. The Role of Birds of the Family Corvidae in Transmitting Sarcocystis Protozoan Parasites. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113258. [PMID: 34827989 PMCID: PMC8614389 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Members of the genus Sarcocystis are protozoan parasites that infect mammals, birds, and reptiles. Sarcocystis spp. have an obligatory two-host prey-predator life cycle. Sarcocysts form in the muscles and central nervous system of the intermediate host, while oocysts and sporocysts develop in the small intestine of the definitive host. There is a lack of studies on omnivorous birds of family Corvidae as potential definitive hosts of Sarcocystis spp. Until now, only S. ovalis has been confirmed to be transmitted via corvids. In the current study, 91 small intestine samples from six corvid species from Lithuania were examined for the presence of Sarcocystis spp. that use birds, carnivorous mammals, and cervids as intermediate hosts. Oocysts of Sarcocystis spp. were observed in 43 samples (47.3%) using a light microscope. Based on molecular methods, 11 Sarcocystis spp., (S. columbae, S. cornixi, S. halieti, S. kutkienae, S. lari, S. turdusi, S. wobeseri, S. arctica, S. lutrae, S. ovalis, and S. oviformis) were identified. These results indicate that corvids may transmit some species of Sarcocystis that use birds and mammals as intermediate hosts. Abstract Members of the family Corvidae are ecologically flexible omnivorous birds, particularly adaptive to urban habitats, and living in proximity to humans; these birds may serve as definitive hosts (DH) for Sarcocystis spp., but research about this is lacking. In the present study, intestinal samples from 91 corvids collected in Lithuania were molecularly tested by species-specific PCR targeting the ITS1 and cox1 genes and subsequently sequenced for the presence of Sarcocystis spp. Under a light microscope, oocysts of Sarcocystis spp. were observed in 43 samples (47.3%), while molecular methods, detected Sarcocystis spp. in 77 birds (84.6%). Eleven Sarcocystis spp. (S. columbae, S. cornixi, potentially pathogenic S. halieti, S. kutkienae, S. lari, S. turdusi, S. wobeseri, S. arctica, S. lutrae, S. ovalis, and S. oviformis) were identified in the intestinal samples from six corvid species from Lithuania. Infections with multiple Sarcocystis spp. were detected in 79.2% of the infected corvid birds. Three of the identified Sarcocystis spp. use corvids as intermediate hosts (IH); therefore, corvids may serve as IH and DH of the same Sarcocystis species. Based on molecular results and on corvid diet, omnivorous corvids may play an important role in transmitting Sarcocystis spp.
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