Intraspecific competition between co-infecting parasite strains enhances host survival in African trypanosomes

Ecology
Oliver BalmerReto Brun

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly clear that under natural conditions parasitic infections commonly consist of co-infections with multiple conspecific strains. Multiple-strain infections lead to intraspecific interactions and may have important ecological and evolutionary effects on both hosts and parasites. However, experimental evidence on intraspecific competition or facilitation in infections has been scarce because of the technical challenges of distinguishing and tracking individual co-infecting strains. To overcome this limitation, we engineered transgenic strains of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the causal agent of human African sleeping sickness. Different strains were transfected with fluorescence genes of different colors to make them visually distinguishable in order to investigate the effects of multiple-strain infections on parasite population dynamics and host fitness. We infected mice either with each strain alone or with mixes of two strains. Our results show a strong mutual competitive suppression of co-infecting T. brucei strains very early in infection. This mutual suppression changes within-host parasite dynamics and alleviates the effects of infection on the host. The strength of suppression depends...Continue Reading

References

Oct 1, 1977·Theoretical Population Biology·R D Holt
Sep 1, 1966·The Journal of Experimental Medicine· Fazekas de St Groth, R G Webster
Oct 1, 1981·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·L Chao, B R Levin
Aug 22, 1995·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·R M May, M A Nowak
Jul 1, 1994·Indian Journal of Pediatrics·L KrishnanN Bhaskaranand
Feb 6, 1996·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·R AntiaR M Anderson
Jan 1, 1996·Parasitology Research·C M TurnerS D Angus
Mar 1, 1996·The Quarterly Review of Biology·S A Frank
Aug 18, 1999·Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·H A BabikerD Walliker
May 31, 2002·Trends in Parasitology·Heather M Ferguson, Andrew F Read
Jul 12, 2002·Nature·Benjamin KerrBrendan J M Bohannan
Jun 14, 2003·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·S Paterson, M E Viney
Nov 7, 2003·Lancet·Michael P BarrettSanjeev Krishna
Jan 1, 2004·Trends in Parasitology·Keith R MatthewsAthina Paterou
Jan 1, 2004·American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine·Robin M WarrenPaul D van Helden
Apr 23, 2004·Nature·Joanne LelloPeter J Hudson
Dec 9, 2004·International Immunology·Kiyoshi Takeda, Shizuo Akira
May 17, 2005·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jacobus C de RoodeAndrew F Read
Sep 2, 2005·Tropical Medicine & International Health : TM & IH·P Van den BosscheR De Deken
Oct 26, 2005·Biochemical Society Transactions·J J van HellemondA G M Tielens
Mar 30, 2006·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Tom J LittleDieter Ebert
Jul 29, 2006·The American Naturalist·Lars RabergAndrew F Read
Aug 26, 2006·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Andrew S BellAndrew F Read
Aug 31, 2006·Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases·Reto Brun, Oliver Balmer
Nov 18, 2006·Nature Reviews. Immunology·Ricardo T Gazzinelli, Eric Y Denkers
Oct 9, 2007·BMC Evolutionary Biology·Lucie SalvaudonJacqui A Shykoff

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 25, 2011·PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases·Oliver BalmerAdalgisa Caccone
Dec 12, 2012·PloS One·Ilona MerikantoVeijo Kaitala
Jan 8, 2011·The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·Jia V LiOliver Balmer
Apr 2, 2014·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Helen C LeggettSarah E Reece
Jan 26, 2013·Ecology Letters·Samuel AlizonYannis Michalakis
Apr 5, 2011·The American Naturalist·Laura C PollittSarah E Reece
Nov 22, 2015·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Ines KlemmeAnssi Karvonen
Nov 1, 2011·The Lancet Infectious Diseases·Oliver Balmer, Marcel Tanner
Oct 25, 2011·Current Opinion in Microbiology·Miguel A LopezKent L Hill
May 17, 2011·Veterinary Parasitology·Andy TaitAnnette Macleod
Nov 20, 2014·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·S E F EvisonW O H Hughes
Mar 4, 2011·Parasite Immunology·L J Morrison
Sep 24, 2014·Ecology and Evolution·Benjamin LangeEllen Decaestecker
Jun 2, 2015·Trends in Microbiology·Ruthie B BirgerC Jessica E Metcalf
Jul 8, 2015·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Farrah Bashey
Apr 11, 2015·Infection, Genetics and Evolution : Journal of Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics in Infectious Diseases·Yuko Ulrich, Paul Schmid-Hempel
Apr 30, 2013·Infection, Genetics and Evolution : Journal of Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics in Infectious Diseases·Gustave SimoTazoacha Asonganyi
Sep 24, 2013·Infection, Genetics and Evolution : Journal of Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics in Infectious Diseases·Karen J Fairlie-ClarkeAndrea L Graham
Feb 25, 2011·Trends in Parasitology·Laura C PollittSarah E Reece
Mar 24, 2016·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Alex BettsKayla C King
Jul 9, 2016·Zoology : Analysis of Complex Systems, ZACS·Joy BoseRebecca D Schulte
Sep 21, 2016·Parasitology·Letícia SoaresRobert E Ricklefs
Feb 28, 2017·Scientific Reports·Gonçalo M RosaJaime Bosch
Sep 6, 2017·Nature Microbiology·Eleanor SilvesterKeith R Matthews
Aug 18, 2018·Parasite : Journal De La Société Française De Parasitologie·Sartrien Kanté TagueuGustave Simo
Nov 2, 2018·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Dolores GennéMaarten J Voordouw
Nov 5, 2019·Parasitology·Olwyn C FriesenClément Lagrue
May 16, 2017·Parasitology·Benjamin J Z QuigleyAngus Buckling
Jul 12, 2017·Ecology and Evolution·Olwyn C FriesenClément Lagrue
Aug 9, 2017·Scientific Reports·Junpyo ParkYing-Cheng Lai
Jul 28, 2017·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Nina WaleAndrew F Read

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

African Trypanosomiasis

African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is an insect-borne parasitic disease of humans and other animals. It is caused by protozoa of the species Trypanosoma brucei and almost invariably progresses to death unless treated. Discover the latest research on African trypanosomiasis here.

© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved