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Doublet V, Oddie MAY, Mondet F, Forsgren E, Dahle B, Furuseth-Hansen E, Williams GR, De Smet L, Natsopoulou ME, Murray TE, Semberg E, Yañez O, de Graaf DC, Le Conte Y, Neumann P, Rimstad E, Paxton RJ, de Miranda JR. Shift in virus composition in honeybees ( Apis mellifera) following worldwide invasion by the parasitic mite and virus vector Varroa destructor. R Soc Open Sci 2024; 11:231529. [PMID: 38204792 PMCID: PMC10776227 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231529] [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] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Invasive vectors can induce dramatic changes in disease epidemiology. While viral emergence following geographical range expansion of a vector is well known, the influence a vector can have at the level of the host's pathobiome is less well understood. Taking advantage of the formerly heterogeneous spatial distribution of the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor that acts as potent virus vector among honeybees Apis mellifera, we investigated the impact of its recent global spread on the viral community of honeybees in a retrospective study of historical samples. We hypothesized that the vector has had an effect on the epidemiology of several bee viruses, potentially altering their transmissibility and/or virulence, and consequently their prevalence, abundance, or both. To test this, we quantified the prevalence and loads of 14 viruses from honeybee samples collected in mite-free and mite-infested populations in four independent geographical regions. The presence of the mite dramatically increased the prevalence and load of deformed wing virus, a cause of unsustainably high colony losses. In addition, several other viruses became more prevalent or were found at higher load in mite-infested areas, including viruses not known to be actively varroa-transmitted, but which may increase opportunistically in varroa-parasitized bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Doublet
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
- Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 061200, Germany
| | - Melissa A. Y. Oddie
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala 750 07, Sweden
- Norwegian Beekeepers Association, Kløfta 2040, Norway
| | - Fanny Mondet
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, Avignon 84914, France
| | - Eva Forsgren
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala 750 07, Sweden
| | - Bjørn Dahle
- Norwegian Beekeepers Association, Kløfta 2040, Norway
| | - Elisabeth Furuseth-Hansen
- Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås 1432, Norway
| | - Geoffrey R. Williams
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern 3097, Switzerland
- Entomology & Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36832, USA
| | - Lina De Smet
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - Myrsini E. Natsopoulou
- Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 061200, Germany
| | - Tomás E. Murray
- Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 061200, Germany
| | - Emilia Semberg
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala 750 07, Sweden
| | - Orlando Yañez
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern 3097, Switzerland
| | - Dirk C. de Graaf
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - Yves Le Conte
- INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, Avignon 84914, France
| | - Peter Neumann
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern 3097, Switzerland
| | - Espen Rimstad
- Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås 1432, Norway
| | - Robert J. Paxton
- Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 061200, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Joachim R. de Miranda
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala 750 07, Sweden
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Becher PG, Jensen RE, Natsopoulou ME, Verschut V, De Fine Licht HH. Infection of Drosophila suzukii with the obligate insect-pathogenic fungus Entomophthora muscae. J Pest Sci (2004) 2018; 91:781-787. [PMID: 29568251 PMCID: PMC5847158 DOI: 10.1007/s10340-017-0915-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Physiological constraints restrict specialist pathogens from infecting new hosts. From an applied perspective, a narrow host range makes specialist pathogens interesting for targeting specific pest insects since they have minimal direct effects on non-target species. Entomopathogenic fungi of the genus Entomophthora are dipteran-specific but have not been investigated for their ability to infect the spotted wing drosophila (SWD; Drosophila suzukii) a fruit-damaging pest invasive to Europe and America. Our main goal was to study whether SWD is in the physiological host range of the entomophthoralean species E. muscae. We investigated pathogenicity and virulence of E. muscae towards its main natural host, the housefly Musca domestica, and towards SWD. We found that E. muscae readily infected and significantly reduced survival of SWD by 27.3% with the majority of flies dying 4-8 days post-exposure. In comparison with SWD, infection of the natural host M. domestica resulted in an even higher mortality of 62.9% and larger conidial spores of E. muscae, reflecting the physiological constraints of the pathogen in the atypical host. We demonstrated that pathogens of the E. muscae species complex that typically have a narrow natural host range of one or few dipteran species are able to infect SWD, and we described a new method for in vivo transmission and infection of an entomophthoralean fungus to SWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul G. Becher
- Chemical Ecology Unit, Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 102, 23053 Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Rasmus E. Jensen
- Section for Organismal Biology, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
- Section for Entomology and Plant Pathology, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Forsøgsvej 1, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Myrsini E. Natsopoulou
- Section for Organismal Biology, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Vasiliki Verschut
- Chemical Ecology Unit, Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 102, 23053 Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Henrik H. De Fine Licht
- Section for Organismal Biology, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
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Natsopoulou ME, McMahon DP, Doublet V, Frey E, Rosenkranz P, Paxton RJ. The virulent, emerging genotype B of Deformed wing virus is closely linked to overwinter honeybee worker loss. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5242. [PMID: 28701778 PMCID: PMC5507926 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05596-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Bees are considered to be threatened globally, with severe overwinter losses of the most important commercial pollinator, the Western honeybee, a major concern in the Northern Hemisphere. Emerging infectious diseases have risen to prominence due to their temporal correlation with colony losses. Among these is Deformed wing virus (DWV), which has been frequently linked to colony mortality. We now provide evidence of a strong statistical association between overwintering colony decline in the field and the presence of DWV genotype-B (DWV-B), a genetic variant of DWV that has recently been shown to be more virulent than the original DWV genotype-A. We link the prevalence of DWV-B directly to a quantitative measure of overwinter decline (workforce mortality) of honeybee colonies in the field. We demonstrate that increased prevalence of virus infection in individual bees is associated with higher overwinter mortality. We also observed a substantial reduction of infected colonies in the spring, suggesting that virus-infected individuals had died during the winter. Our findings demonstrate that DWV-B, plus possible A/B recombinants exhibiting DWV-B at PCR primer binding sites, may be a major cause of elevated overwinter honeybee loss. Its potential emergence in naïve populations of bees may have far-reaching ecological and economic impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myrsini E Natsopoulou
- Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany. .,Section for Organismal Biology, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
| | - Dino P McMahon
- School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.,Institute of Biology, Free University Berlin, Schwendenerstr. 1, 14195, Berlin, Germany.,Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vincent Doublet
- Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig (iDiv), Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Eva Frey
- Apicultural State Institute, University of Hohenheim, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Peter Rosenkranz
- Apicultural State Institute, University of Hohenheim, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Robert J Paxton
- Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.,School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig (iDiv), Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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McMahon DP, Natsopoulou ME, Doublet V, Fürst M, Weging S, Brown MJF, Gogol-Döring A, Paxton RJ. Elevated virulence of an emerging viral genotype as a driver of honeybee loss. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20160811. [PMID: 27358367 PMCID: PMC4936039 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) have contributed significantly to the current biodiversity crisis, leading to widespread epidemics and population loss. Owing to genetic variation in pathogen virulence, a complete understanding of species decline requires the accurate identification and characterization of EIDs. We explore this issue in the Western honeybee, where increasing mortality of populations in the Northern Hemisphere has caused major concern. Specifically, we investigate the importance of genetic identity of the main suspect in mortality, deformed wing virus (DWV), in driving honeybee loss. Using laboratory experiments and a systematic field survey, we demonstrate that an emerging DWV genotype (DWV-B) is more virulent than the established DWV genotype (DWV-A) and is widespread in the landscape. Furthermore, we show in a simple model that colonies infected with DWV-B collapse sooner than colonies infected with DWV-A. We also identify potential for rapid DWV evolution by revealing extensive genome-wide recombination in vivo The emergence of DWV-B in naive honeybee populations, including via recombination with DWV-A, could be of significant ecological and economic importance. Our findings emphasize that knowledge of pathogen genetic identity and diversity is critical to understanding drivers of species decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dino P McMahon
- School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Institute of Biology, Free University Berlin, Schwendenerstrasse 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany
| | - Myrsini E Natsopoulou
- Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Vincent Doublet
- Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Fürst
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 OEX, UK IST Austria (Institute of Science and Technology Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Silvio Weging
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Institute of Computer Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Mark J F Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 OEX, UK
| | - Andreas Gogol-Döring
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Institute of Computer Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Robert J Paxton
- School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Abstract
Nosema ceranae, an emerging pathogen of the western honeybee (Apis mellifera), is implicated in recent pollinator losses and causes severe energetic stress. However, whether precocious foraging and accelerated behavioural maturation in infected bees are caused by the infection itself or via indirect energetic stress remains unknown. Using a combination of nutritional and infection treatments, we investigated how starvation and infection alters the regulation of adipokinetic hormone (AKH) and octopamine, two highly conserved physiological pathways that respond to energetic stress by mobilizing fat stores and increasing search activity for food. Although there was no response from AKH when bees were experimentally infected with N. ceranae or starved, supporting the notion that honeybees have lost this pathway, there were significant regulatory changes in the octopamine pathway. Significantly, we found no evidence of acute energetic stress being the only cause of symptoms associated with N. ceranae infection. Therefore, the parasite itself appears to alter regulatory components along a highly conserved physiological pathway in an infection-specific manner. This indicates that pathogen-induced behavioural alteration of chronically infected bees should not just be viewed as a coincidental short-term by-product of pathogenesis (acute energetic stress) and may be a result of a generalist manipulation strategy to obtain energy for reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Mayack
- Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Institute for Biology/General Zoology, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - M E Natsopoulou
- Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Institute for Biology/General Zoology, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - D P McMahon
- Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Institute for Biology/General Zoology, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Institute of Biology, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin, Germany
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6
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Forfert N, Natsopoulou ME, Frey E, Rosenkranz P, Paxton RJ, Moritz RFA. Parasites and Pathogens of the Honeybee (Apis mellifera) and Their Influence on Inter-Colonial Transmission. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0140337. [PMID: 26451849 PMCID: PMC4599887 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogens and parasites may facilitate their transmission by manipulating host behavior. Honeybee pathogens and pests need to be transferred from one colony to another if they are to maintain themselves in a host population. Inter-colony transmission occurs typically through honeybee workers not returning to their home colony but entering a foreign colony (“drifting”). Pathogens might enhance drifting to enhance transmission to new colonies. We here report on the effects infection by ten honeybee viruses and Nosema spp., and Varroa mite infestation on honeybee drifting. Genotyping of workers collected from colonies allowed us to identify genuine drifted workers as well as source colonies sending out drifters in addition to sink colonies accepting them. We then used network analysis to determine patterns of drifting. Distance between colonies in the apiary was the major factor explaining 79% of drifting. None of the tested viruses or Nosema spp. were associated with the frequency of drifting. Only colony infestation with Varroa was associated with significantly enhanced drifting. More specifically, colonies with high Varroa infestation had a significantly enhanced acceptance of drifters, although they did not send out more drifting workers. Since Varroa-infested colonies show an enhanced attraction of drifting workers, and not only those infected with Varroa and its associated pathogens, infestation by Varroa may also facilitate the uptake of other pests and parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadège Forfert
- Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Eva Frey
- University of Hohenheim, Apicultural State Institute, Stuttgart,Germany
| | - Peter Rosenkranz
- University of Hohenheim, Apicultural State Institute, Stuttgart,Germany
| | - Robert J. Paxton
- Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Robin F. A. Moritz
- Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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Natsopoulou ME, McMahon DP, Paxton RJ. Parasites modulate within-colony activity and accelerate the temporal polyethism schedule of a social insect, the honey bee. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015; 70:1019-1031. [PMID: 27397965 PMCID: PMC4917585 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-2019-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2015] [Revised: 09/24/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Task allocation in social insect colonies is generally organised into an age-related division of labour, termed the temporal polyethism schedule, which may in part have evolved to reduce infection of the colony's brood by pests and pathogens. The temporal polyethism schedule is sensitive to colony perturbations that may lead to adaptive changes in task allocation, maintaining colony homeostasis. Though social insects can be infected by a range of parasites, little is known of how these parasites impact within-colony behaviour and the temporal polyethism schedule. We use honey bees (Apis mellifera) experimentally infected by two of their emerging pathogens, Deformed wing virus (DWV), which is relatively understudied concerning its behavioural impact on its host, and the exotic microsporidian Nosema ceranae. We examined parasite effects on host temporal polyethism and patterns of activity within the colony. We found that pathogens accelerated the temporal polyethism schedule, but without reducing host behavioural repertoire. Infected hosts exhibited increased hyperactivity, allocating more time to self-grooming and foraging-related tasks. The strength of behavioural alterations we observed was found to be pathogen specific; behavioural modifications were more pronounced in virus-treated hosts versus N. ceranae-treated hosts, with potential benefits for the colony in terms of reducing within-colony transmission. Investigating the effects of multiple pathogens on behavioural patterns of social insects could play a crucial role in understanding pathogen spread within a colony and their effects on colony social organisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myrsini E Natsopoulou
- Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Dino P McMahon
- Institute of Biology, Free University Berlin, Schwendenerstr.1, 14195 Berlin, Germany ; Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert J Paxton
- Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
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Natsopoulou ME, McMahon DP, Doublet V, Bryden J, Paxton RJ. Interspecific competition in honeybee intracellular gut parasites is asymmetric and favours the spread of an emerging infectious disease. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20141896. [PMID: 25429014 PMCID: PMC4262169 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.1896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [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: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 10/24/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
There is increasing appreciation that hosts in natural populations are subject to infection by multiple parasite species. Yet the epidemiological and ecological processes determining the outcome of mixed infections are poorly understood. Here, we use two intracellular gut parasites (Microsporidia), one exotic and one co-evolved in the western honeybee (Apis mellifera), in an experiment in which either one or both parasites were administered either simultaneously or sequentially. We provide clear evidence of within-host competition; order of infection was an important determinant of the competitive outcome between parasites, with the first parasite significantly inhibiting the growth of the second, regardless of species. However, the strength of this 'priority effect' was highly asymmetric, with the exotic Nosema ceranae exhibiting stronger inhibition of Nosema apis than vice versa. Our results reveal an unusual asymmetry in parasite competition that is dependent on order of infection. When incorporated into a mathematical model of disease prevalence, we find asymmetric competition to be an important predictor of the patterns of parasite prevalence found in nature. Our findings demonstrate the wider significance of complex multi-host-multi-parasite interactions as drivers of host-pathogen community structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myrsini E Natsopoulou
- Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, Halle (Saale) 06120, Germany
| | - Dino P McMahon
- Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, Halle (Saale) 06120, Germany School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Schwendenerstr. 1, Berlin 14195, Germany Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, Berlin 12205, Germany
| | - Vincent Doublet
- Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, Halle (Saale) 06120, Germany German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - John Bryden
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Robert J Paxton
- Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, Halle (Saale) 06120, Germany School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig 04103, Germany
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Natsopoulou ME, Pálsson S, Ólafsdóttir GÁ. Parasites and parallel divergence of the number of individual MHC alleles between sympatric three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus morphs in Iceland. J Fish Biol 2012; 81:1696-1714. [PMID: 23020569 DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03430.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Two pairs of sympatric three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus morphs and two single morph populations inhabiting mud and lava or rocky benthic habitats in four Icelandic lakes were screened for parasites and genotyped for MHC class IIB diversity. Parasitic infection differed consistently between G. aculeatus from different benthic habitats. Gasterosteus aculeatus from the lava or rocky habitats were more heavily infected in all lakes. A parallel pattern was also found in individual MHC allelic variation with lava G. aculeatus morphs exhibiting lower levels of variation than the mud morphs. Evidence for selective divergence in MHC allele number is ambiguous but supported by two findings in addition to the parallel pattern observed. MHC allele diversity was not consistent with diversity reported at neutral markers (microsatellites) and in Þingvallavatn the most common number of alleles in each morph was associated with lower infection levels. In the Þingvallavatn lava morph, lower infection levels by the two most common parasites, Schistocephalus solidus and Diplostomum baeri, were associated with different MHC allele numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Natsopoulou
- Research Centre of the Westfjords, University of Iceland, Adalstraeti 21, 415 Bolungarvík, Iceland
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