scholarly journals Raiders from the sky: slavemaker founding queens select for aggressive host colonies

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 748-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Pamminger ◽  
Andreas P. Modlmeier ◽  
Stefan Suette ◽  
Pleuni S. Pennings ◽  
Susanne Foitzik
Keyword(s):  
Nest Density ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Arms Races ◽  
Temnothorax Longispinosus ◽  
Host Colony ◽  
High Aggression ◽  
Slavemaking Ants ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Selection Event

Reciprocal selection pressures in host–parasite systems drive coevolutionary arms races that lead to advanced adaptations in both opponents. In the interactions between social parasites and their hosts, aggression is one of the major behavioural traits under selection. In a field manipulation, we aimed to disentangle the impact of slavemaking ants and nest density on aggression of Temnothorax longispinosus ants. An early slavemaker mating flight provided us with the unique opportunity to study the influence of host aggression and demography on founding decisions and success. We discovered that parasite queens avoided colony foundation in parasitized areas and were able to capture more brood from less aggressive host colonies. Host colony aggression remained consistent over the two-month experiment, but did not respond to our manipulation. However, as one-fifth of all host colonies were successfully invaded by parasite queens, slavemaker nest foundation acts as a strong selection event selecting for high aggression in host colonies.

Non-linear phenomena in host—parasite interactions

Parasitology ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 99 (S1) ◽  
pp. S59-S79 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Anderson ◽  
R. M. May ◽  
S. Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Control Measure ◽  
Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Developmental Cycle ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Control Effort ◽  
Host Parasite Interactions ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARYThe paper examines non-linear dynamical phenomena in host—parasite interactions by reference to a series of different problems ranging from the impact on transmission of control measures based on vaccination and chemotherapy, to the effects of immunological responses targeted at different stages in a parasite's life-cycle. Throughout, simple mathematical models are employed to aid in interpretation. Analyses reveal that the influence of a defined control measure on the prevalence or intensity of infection, whether vaccination or drug treatment, is non-linearly related to the magnitude of control effort (as defined by the proportion of individuals vaccinated or treated with a drug). Consideration of the relative merits of gametocyte and sporozoite vaccines against malarial parasites suggests that very high levels of cohort immunization will be required to block transmission in endemic areas, with the former type of vaccine being more effective in reducing transmission for a defined level of coverage and the latter being better with respect to a reduction in morbidity. The inclusion of genetic elements in analyses of the transmission of helminth parasites reveals complex non-linear patterns of change in the abundance of different parasite genotypes under selection pressures imposed by either the host immunological defences or the application of chemotherapeutic agents. When resistance genes are present in parasite populations, the degree to which abundance can be suppressed by chemotherapy depends critically on the frequency and intensity of application, with intermediate values of the former being optimal. A more detailed consideration of the impact of immunological defences on parasite population growth within an individual host, by reference to the erythrocytic cycle of malaria, suggests that the effectiveness of a given immunological response is inversely related to the life-expectancy of the target stage in the parasite's developmental cycle.

Host–parasite co-evolution

2021 ◽  
pp. 389-416
Author(s):  
Paul Schmid-Hempel
Keyword(s):  
Meiotic Recombination ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Host Switching ◽  
Response To Selection ◽  
Red Queen ◽  
Arms Races ◽  
Migration Rates ◽  
Frequency Changes ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Relative Migration

Macroevolutionary patterns concern phylogenies of hosts and their parasites. From those, co-speciation occurs; but host switching is a common evolutionary process and more likely when hosts are close phylogenetically and geographical ranges overlap. Microevolutionary processes refer to allele frequency changes within population. In arms races, traits of hosts and parasites evolve in one direction in response to selection by the other party. With selective sweeps, advantageous alleles rapidly spread in host or parasite population and can become fixed. With antagonistic negative frequency-dependent fluctuations (Red Queen dynamics) genetic polymorphism in populations can be maintained, even through speciation events. A Red Queen co-evolutionary process can favour sexual over asexual reproduction and maintain meiotic recombination despite its other disadvantages (two-fold cost of sex). Local adaptation of host and parasites exist in various combinations; the relative migration rates of the two parties, embedded in a geographical mosaic, are important for this process.

scholarly journals Human microRNAs in host–parasite interaction: a review

3 Biotech ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujay Paul ◽  
Luis M. Ruiz-Manriquez ◽  
Francisco I. Serrano-Cano ◽  
Carolina Estrada-Meza ◽  
Karla A. Solorio-Diaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Noncoding Rna ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Response Modulation ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Small Noncoding Rna ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis ◽  
Cell Proliferation And Differentiation ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
The Impact

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small noncoding RNA molecules with significant capacity to regulate the gene expression at the post-transcriptional level in a sequence-specific manner either through translation repression or mRNA degradation triggering a fine-tuning biological impact. They have been implicated in several processes, including cell growth and development, signal transduction, cell proliferation and differentiation, metabolism, apoptosis, inflammation, and immune response modulation. However, over the last few years, extensive studies have shown the relevance of miRNAs in human pathophysiology. Common human parasitic diseases, such as Malaria, Leishmaniasis, Amoebiasis, Chagas disease, Schistosomiasis, Toxoplasmosis, Cryptosporidiosis, Clonorchiasis, and Echinococcosis are the leading cause of death worldwide. Thus, identifying and characterizing parasite-specific miRNAs and their host targets, as well as host-related miRNAs, are important for a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of parasite-specific diseases at the molecular level. In this review, we have demonstrated the impact of human microRNAs during host−parasite interaction as well as their potential to be used for diagnosis and prognosis purposes.

scholarly journals Global warming is changing the dynamics of Arctic host–parasite systems

2005 ◽  
Vol 272 (1581) ◽  
pp. 2571-2576 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J Kutz ◽  
E.P Hoberg ◽  
L Polley ◽  
E.J Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Parasitic Nematode ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Infectious Agents ◽  
Infection Pressure ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
The Impact

Global climate change is altering the ecology of infectious agents and driving the emergence of disease in people, domestic animals, and wildlife. We present a novel, empirically based, predictive model for the impact of climate warming on development rates and availability of an important parasitic nematode of muskoxen in the Canadian Arctic, a region that is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Using this model, we show that warming in the Arctic may have already radically altered the transmission dynamics of this parasite, escalating infection pressure for muskoxen, and that this trend is expected to continue. This work establishes a foundation for understanding responses to climate change of other host–parasite systems, in the Arctic and globally.

scholarly journals The mode of host–parasite interaction shapes coevolutionary dynamics and the fate of host cooperation

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1743) ◽  
pp. 3742-3748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Z. Quigley ◽  
Diana García López ◽  
Angus Buckling ◽  
Alan J. McKane ◽  
Sam P. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Modelling ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Social Traits ◽  
The Social ◽  
Population Structures ◽  
Modelling Techniques ◽  
Virus Interactions ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Genetic Specificity

Antagonistic coevolution between hosts and parasites can have a major impact on host population structures, and hence on the evolution of social traits. Using stochastic modelling techniques in the context of bacteria–virus interactions, we investigate the impact of coevolution across a continuum of host–parasite genetic specificity (specifically, where genotypes have the same infectivity/resistance ranges (matching alleles, MA) to highly variable ranges (gene-for-gene, GFG)) on population genetic structure, and on the social behaviour of the host. We find that host cooperation is more likely to be maintained towards the MA end of the continuum, as the more frequent bottlenecks associated with an MA-like interaction can prevent defector invasion, and can even allow migrant cooperators to invade populations of defectors.

Biochemical and physiological parameters associated with Trypanosoma evansi prevalence in wild capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (12) ◽  
pp. 913-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.T. Eberhardt ◽  
P.M. Beldomenico ◽  
L.D. Monje ◽  
A.L. Racca
Keyword(s):  
Trypanosoma Evansi ◽  
Physiological Parameters ◽  
Hydrochoerus Hydrochaeris ◽  
Host Health ◽  
History Of ◽  
Wildlife Populations ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
The Impact

Parasites can be detrimental to the health of wildlife populations and may negatively affect several aspects of the life history of their hosts. Investigating host health, therefore, is key to understanding important mechanisms of the host–parasite interaction at the individual and population levels. Recently, we reported a prevalence of 10% of Trypanosoma evansi Steel, 1884 in a population of capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (L., 1766)) from Esteros del Iberá, Argentina; however, the impact of T. evansi infection on capybaras is unknown. The aim of this study was to explore associations between T. evansi infection and biochemical and physiological parameters in wild capybaras using blood samples (n = 60) from a managed population of free-ranging capybaras from Esteros del Iberá. Infection by T. evansi was negatively associated with body condition, albumin, alpha-2 globulin concentrations, albumin/globulin ratio, and eosinophil counts, and it was positively associated with spleen index and gamma-globulin concentrations. These results suggest that T. evansi infection may pose a significant impact on the health of wild capybaras.

One snail – three Digenea species, different strategies in host-parasite interaction

2011 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Żbikowska
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Diplostomum Pseudospathaceum ◽  
Second Intermediate Host ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Plagiorchis Elegans ◽  
First Intermediate Host

AbstractThe mostly lab-based studies on snail-trematode interactions should be complemented by research on naturally invaded hosts. In this mini-review, three different ways of snail exploitation by Digenea larvae are presented. Morphological, physiological and behavioral changes caused by three parasites in the same naturally infected host – Lymnaea stagnalis – differ in species-dependent fashion. The impact of a snail-trematode interaction depends on parasite virulence (i.e. parasite induced lost of fitness of the host). The pathogenicity varies with the survival strategy of the invader. Sporocyst-born Plagiorchis elegans, which uses the same Lymnaea stagnalis individual as a first but also as a second intermediate host, does not disturb host processes as strongly as redia-born Echinoparyphium aconiatum. The third parasite species – Diplostomum pseudospathaceum, also sporocyst-born – is more virulent than P. elegans, but it can modify and relax host exploitation to overwinter in the snail. The data presented demonstrate that successful use of first intermediate host can be arranged in different ways.

scholarly journals The impact of environmental change on host–parasite coevolutionary dynamics

2010 ◽  
Vol 278 (1716) ◽  
pp. 2283-2292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafal Mostowy ◽  
Jan Engelstädter
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Time Windows ◽  
Gene Interactions ◽  
Genotype By Environment ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Antagonistic Interactions ◽  
Gene For Gene

Environmental factors are known to affect the strength and the specificity of interactions between hosts and parasites. However, how this shapes patterns of coevolutionary dynamics is not clear. Here, we construct a simple mathematical model to study the effect of environmental change on host–parasite coevolutionary outcome when interactions are of the matching-alleles or the gene-for-gene type. Environmental changes may effectively alter the selective pressure and the level of specialism in the population. Our results suggest that environmental change altering the specificity of selection in antagonistic interactions can produce alternating time windows of cyclical allele-frequency dynamics and cessation thereof. This type of environmental impact can also explain the maintenance of polymorphism in gene-for-gene interactions without costs. Overall, our study points to the potential consequences of environmental variation in coevolution, and thus the importance of characterizing genotype-by-genotype-by-environment interactions in natural host–parasite systems, especially those that change the direction of selection acting between the two species.

scholarly journals The impact of resource provisioning on the epidemiological responses of different parasites

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Erazo ◽  
Amy B Pedersen ◽  
Andy Fenton
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Resource Provisioning ◽  
Transmission Mode ◽  
Host Susceptibility ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Duration Of Infection ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
The Impact

Events such as anthropogenic activities and periodic tree masting can alter resource provisioning in the environment, directly affecting animals, and potentially impacting the spread of infectious diseases in wildlife. The effect of these supplemental resources on infectious diseases can manifest through different pathways, affecting host susceptibility, transmission and host demography. To date however, empirical research has tended to examine these different pathways in isolation, for example by quantifying the effects of provisioning on host behaviour in the wild or changes in immune responses in controlled laboratory studies. Further, while theory has investigated the interactions between these pathways, thus far this work has focussed on a narrow subset of pathogen types, typically directly-transmitted microparasites. Given the diverse ways that provisioning can affect host susceptibility, contact patterns or host demography, we may expect the epidemiological consequences of provisioning to depend on key aspects of parasite life-history, such as the duration of infection and transmission mode. We developed a suite of generic epidemiological models to compare how resource provisioning alters responses for different parasites that vary in their biology (micro- and macro-parasite), transmission mode (direct, environmental, and vector transmitted) and duration of infection (acute, latent, and chronic). Next, we parameterised these different parasite types using data from the diverse parasite community of wild wood mice as a case study. We show there are common epidemiological responses to host resource provisioning across all parasite types examined. In particular, the response to provisioning could be driven in opposite directions, depending on which host pathways (contact rate, susceptibility or host demography) are most altered by the addition of resources to the environment. Broadly, these responses were qualitatively consistent across all parasite types, emphasising the importance of identifying general trade-offs between provisioning-altered parameters. Despite the qualitative consistency in responses to provisioning across parasite types, we found notable quantitative differences between parasites, suggesting specific epidemiological outcomes could strongly depend on parasite type, infection duration and permanency of recovery, and whether the parasite is directly, environmentally, or vector transmitted. These analyses therefore highlight the importance of knowing key specific aspects of host-parasite biology, such as host contact behaviours, parasite interactions with the host immune system, and how resource availability shapes host demographics, in order to understand and predict epidemiological responses to provisioning for any specific host-parasite system.

scholarly journals The ghost of hosts past: impacts of host extinction on parasite specificity

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1837) ◽  
pp. 20200351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxwell J. Farrell ◽  
Andrew W. Park ◽  
Clayton E. Cressler ◽  
Tad Dallas ◽  
Shan Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Host Specificity ◽  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Virulence Evolution ◽  
Host Phylogeny ◽  
Parasite Biodiversity ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Host Extinction

A growing body of research is focused on the extinction of parasite species in response to host endangerment and declines. Beyond the loss of parasite species richness, host extinction can impact apparent parasite host specificity, as measured by host richness or the phylogenetic distances among hosts. Such impacts on the distribution of parasites across the host phylogeny can have knock-on effects that may reshape the adaptation of both hosts and parasites, ultimately shifting the evolutionary landscape underlying the potential for emergence and the evolution of virulence across hosts. Here, we examine how the reshaping of host phylogenies through extinction may impact the host specificity of parasites, and offer examples from historical extinctions, present-day endangerment, and future projections of biodiversity loss. We suggest that an improved understanding of the impact of host extinction on contemporary host–parasite interactions may shed light on core aspects of disease ecology, including comparative studies of host specificity, virulence evolution in multi-host parasite systems, and future trajectories for host and parasite biodiversity. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Infectious disease macroecology: parasite diversity and dynamics across the globe’.

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