scholarly journals Parallels in Fungal Pathogenesis on Plant and Animal Hosts

2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 1941-1949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrienne C. Sexton ◽  
Barbara J. Howlett
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Pathogenesis ◽  
Animal Hosts

Neurotropic enteroviruses co-opt “fair-weather-friend” commensal gut microbiota to drive host infection and central nervous system disturbances

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Gut Bacteria ◽  
Infection Cycle ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
Host Health ◽  
Microbe Interactions ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
Host Infection ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Conditions

Abstract Some neurotropic enteroviruses hijack Trojan horse/raft commensal gut bacteria to render devastating biomimicking cryptic attacks on human/animal hosts. Such virus-microbe interactions manipulate hosts’ gut-brain axes with accompanying infection-cycle-optimizing central nervous system (CNS) disturbances, including severe neurodevelopmental, neuromotor, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Co-opted bacteria thus indirectly influence host health, development, behavior, and mind as possible “fair-weather-friend” symbionts, switching from commensal to context-dependent pathogen-like strategies benefiting gut-bacteria fitness.

Studying Fungal Pathogenesis in Drosophila

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 291-296
Author(s):  
Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis ◽  
Russell E. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Pathogenesis

scholarly journals Lifestyle of sponge symbiont phages by host prediction and correlative microscopy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Jahn ◽  
T. Lachnit ◽  
S. M. Markert ◽  
C. Stigloher ◽  
L. Pita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distinct Pattern ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Bacterial Symbionts ◽  
Correlative Microscopy ◽  
Phage Ecology ◽  
Infection Dynamics ◽  
Imaging Approach ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
Viral Distribution

AbstractBacteriophages (phages) are ubiquitous elements in nature, but their ecology and role in animals remains little understood. Sponges represent the oldest known extant animal-microbe symbiosis and are associated with dense and diverse microbial consortia. Here we investigate the tripartite interaction between phages, bacterial symbionts, and the sponge host. We combined imaging and bioinformatics to tackle important questions on who the phage hosts are and what the replication mode and spatial distribution within the animal is. This approach led to the discovery of distinct phage-microbe infection networks in sponge versus seawater microbiomes. A new correlative in situ imaging approach (‘PhageFISH-CLEM‘) localised phages within bacterial symbiont cells, but also within phagocytotically active sponge cells. We postulate that the phagocytosis of free virions by sponge cells modulates phage-bacteria ratios and ultimately controls infection dynamics. Prediction of phage replication strategies indicated a distinct pattern, where lysogeny dominates the sponge microbiome, likely fostered by sponge host-mediated virion clearance, while lysis dominates in seawater. Collectively, this work provides new insights into phage ecology within sponges, highlighting the importance of tripartite animal-phage-bacterium interplay in holobiont functioning. We anticipate that our imaging approach will be instrumental to further understanding of viral distribution and cellular association in animal hosts.

scholarly journals Domestication of wild animals may provide a springboard for rapid variation of coronavirus

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 252-254
Author(s):  
Lei Gao
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Rapid Variation ◽  
Cross Breeding ◽  
Important Direction ◽  
Animal Hosts

Abstract Coronaviruses have spread widely among humans and other animals, but not all coronaviruses carried by specific animals can directly infect other kinds of animals. Viruses from most animal hosts need an intermediate host before they can spread widely among humans. Under natural conditions, coronaviruses do not rapidly change from infecting wild animals as intermediate hosts and to spreading widely among humans. The intermediate host might be the animals captured or bred for the purpose of cross-breeding with domesticated species for improvement of the breed. These animals differ from wild animals at the environmental and genetic levels. It is an important direction to study the semi-wild animals domesticated by humans in search for intermediate hosts of viruses widely spread among humans.

scholarly journals Unresolved advantages of multipartitism in spatially structured environments

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P Zwart ◽  
Stéphane Blanc ◽  
Marcelle Johnson ◽  
Susanna Manrubia ◽  
Yannis Michalakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Organization ◽  
Latent Infection ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Plant Viruses ◽  
Epidemic Spread ◽  
Virus Particles ◽  
Distinct Virus ◽  
Network Epidemiology ◽  
Short Commentary ◽  
Animal Hosts

Abstract Multipartite viruses have segmented genomes and package each of their genome segments individually into distinct virus particles. Multipartitism is common among plant viruses, but why this apparently costly genome organization and packaging has evolved remains unclear. Recently Zhang and colleagues developed network epidemiology models to study the epidemic spread of multipartite viruses and their distribution over plant and animal hosts (Phys. Rev. Lett. 2019, 123, 138101). In this short commentary, we call into question the relevance of these results because of key model assumptions. First, the model of plant hosts assumes virus transmission only occurs between adjacent plants. This assumption overlooks the basic but imperative fact that most multipartite viruses are transmitted over variable distances by mobile animal vectors, rendering the model results irrelevant to differences between plant and animal hosts. Second, when not all genome segments of a multipartite virus are transmitted to a host, the model assumes an incessant latent infection occurs. This is a bold assumption for which there is no evidence to date, making the relevance of these results to understanding multipartitism questionable.

scholarly journals Structural, Evolutionary, and Functional Analysis of the Protein O-Mannosyltransferase Family in Pathogenic Fungi

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 328
Author(s):  
María Dolores Pejenaute-Ochoa ◽  
Carlos Santana-Molina ◽  
Damien P. Devos ◽  
José Ignacio Ibeas ◽  
Alfonso Fernández-Álvarez
Keyword(s):  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Fungal Pathogenesis ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Single Deletion ◽  
Asymmetrical Impact ◽  
Substrate Proteins

Protein O-mannosyltransferases (Pmts) comprise a group of proteins that add mannoses to substrate proteins at the endoplasmic reticulum. This post-translational modification is important for the faithful transfer of nascent glycoproteins throughout the secretory pathway. Most fungi genomes encode three O-mannosyltransferases, usually named Pmt1, Pmt2, and Pmt4. In pathogenic fungi, Pmts, especially Pmt4, are key factors for virulence. Although the importance of Pmts for fungal pathogenesis is well established in a wide range of pathogens, questions remain regarding certain features of Pmts. For example, why does the single deletion of each pmt gene have an asymmetrical impact on host colonization? Here, we analyse the origin of Pmts in fungi and review the most important phenotypes associated with Pmt mutants in pathogenic fungi. Hence, we highlight the enormous relevance of these glycotransferases for fungal pathogenic development.

Antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic bacteria: lessons learned from host-specific pathogens

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trudy M. Wassenaar ◽  
Peter Silley
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Animal Host ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Single Animal ◽  
Resistance Patterns ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
Zoonotic Bacteria ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractThe relative contribution of veterinary and human clinical treatments to the selection of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic pathogens remains controversial. In this review, we consider bacterial pathogens that differ in host specificity and address their resistance profiles: pathogens that only occur in the human host, pathogens that are specific to particular food-producing animals and pathogens that occur in both host types. Compared with those pathogens restricted to a single animal host, pathogens found in both human and animal hosts appear to have higher incidences of resistance. However, the most urgent and severe resistance problems occur with pathogens exclusively infecting humans. Differences exist in the available genetic repertoire of a bacterial species and these are reflected in the observed resistance patterns; it is important to note that different bacterial species do not automatically result in similarly resistant populations when they undergo comparable selection in different host species. Thus, within a bacterial species, prevalence of resistance can differ between populations isolated from different hosts. For some species, fluctuations in dominant subpopulations, for instance particular serotypes, can be the most important factor determining resistance. The frequently expressed opinion that veterinary use of antimicrobials is at the heart of many resistance problems may be an oversimplification of the complex forces at play.

scholarly journals Assessing Host-Virus Codivergence for Close Relatives of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infecting African Great Apes

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (19) ◽  
pp. 8531-8541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadège F. Madinda ◽  
Bernhard Ehlers ◽  
Joel O. Wertheim ◽  
Chantal Akoua-Koffi ◽  
Richard A. Bergl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Host Specificity ◽  
Viral Evolution ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Merkel Cell Polyomavirus ◽  
Merkel Cell ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
African Great Apes

ABSTRACTIt has long been hypothesized that polyomaviruses (PyV; familyPolyomaviridae) codiverged with their animal hosts. In contrast, recent analyses suggested that codivergence may only marginally influence the evolution of PyV. We reassess this question by focusing on a single lineage of PyV infecting hominine hosts, the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) lineage. By characterizing the genetic diversity of these viruses in seven African great ape taxa, we show that they exhibit very strong host specificity. Reconciliation analyses identify more codivergence than noncodivergence events. In addition, we find that a number of host and PyV divergence events are synchronous. Collectively, our results support codivergence as the dominant process at play during the evolution of the MCPyV lineage. More generally, our results add to the growing body of evidence suggesting an ancient and stable association of PyV and their animal hosts.IMPORTANCEThe processes involved in viral evolution and the interaction of viruses with their hosts are of great scientific interest and public health relevance. It has long been thought that the genetic diversity of double-stranded DNA viruses was generated over long periods of time, similar to typical host evolutionary timescales. This was also hypothesized for polyomaviruses (familyPolyomaviridae), a group comprising several human pathogens, but this remains a point of controversy. Here, we investigate this question by focusing on a single lineage of polyomaviruses that infect both humans and their closest relatives, the African great apes. We show that these viruses exhibit considerable host specificity and that their evolution largely mirrors that of their hosts, suggesting that codivergence with their hosts played a major role in their diversification. Our results provide statistical evidence in favor of an association of polyomaviruses and their hosts over millions of years.

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