Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Vaishnovi Sekar, Ana Rivero, Romain Pigeault, Sylvain Gandon, Anna Drews, Dag Ahren, Olof Hellgren
Summary: This study investigates the transcriptomes of the Avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum in its vector Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus, revealing gene expression patterns at different key timepoints and highlighting the presence of highly stage-specific pathways throughout the infection. Analysis identified genes related to host-immune invasion, unknown functions, and potential multifunctionality of some proteins, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms of the parasite's development and gene regulation diversity in its vector stages.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luz Garcia-Longoria, Dag Ahren, Arnaud Berthomieu, Victor Kalbskopf, Ana Rivero, Olof Hellgren
Summary: This study presents the first transcriptomic analysis of the immune response of the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus to Plasmodium relictum infection. The results reveal the important roles of Toll and Imd pathways during the critical period of parasite development. Unexpected differences in immune RNA expression patterns were also observed in infected mosquitoes compared to uninfected mosquitoes. The study expands our understanding of immune pathways and the selective pressures exerted by Plasmodium parasites on their vectors.
Article
Microbiology
Elena Platonova, Vaidas Palinauskas
Summary: The avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum (genetic lineage pGRW4) is prevalent in some bird species in Northern Europe, with experiments showing that the cool summer air temperature in the region is not a limiting factor for the successful development of the parasite. However, delayed sporogony caused by low summer temperatures may have a detrimental impact on the active transmission of this parasite in Northern Europe.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiyun Zhang, Zhongyuan Ruan, Muhua Zheng, Jie Zhou, Stefano Boccaletti, Baruch Barzel
Summary: In the modeling of epidemic spreading, the reproduction number is crucial. This study examines how evolving pathogens can affect the reproduction number and dynamics of spreading. The authors introduce a modeling framework that combines inter-host network spreading patterns with intra-host evolutionary dynamics. They find that mutations can fundamentally alter the pandemic phase-diagram, which is not solely determined by the reproduction number, but also by the balance between epidemic and evolutionary timescales.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amaya Campillay Lagos, Martin Sundqvist, Fredrik Dyrkell, Marc Stegger, Bo Soderquist, Paula Molling
Summary: This study evaluated the genomic variation rate in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using core genome multilocus sequencing (cgMLST) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses. The results suggest an estimated genomic variation rate of 2.0-5.8 genetic events per year in MRSA.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Rhastin A. D. Castro, Sonia Borrell, Sebastien Gagneux
Summary: This review highlights recent research on how antimicrobial resistance evolves in MTBC populations within individual patients, discussing the role of heteroresistance and the factors that modulate its magnitude. It also focuses on the dynamics of MTBC genetic diversity within-host, including spatial substructures in patients' lungs and spatiotemporal heterogeneity in antimicrobial concentrations. The study notes the general characteristics shared between the evolution of MTBC and other bacterial pathogens in humans, while highlighting the unique characteristics of the MTBC.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ketaki Ganti, Anish Bagga, Silvia Carnaccini, Lucas M. Ferreri, Ginger Geiger, C. Joaquin Caceres, Brittany Seibert, Yonghai Li, Liping Wang, Taeyong Kwon, Yuhao Li, Igor Morozov, Wenjun Ma, Juergen A. Richt, Daniel R. Perez, Katia Koelle, Anice C. Lowen
Summary: This study investigates the intra-host dynamics of influenza virus reassortment and finds that reassortment is prevalent in swine, ferrets, and guinea pigs, but less frequent in swine. Tissue-specific differences in reassortment are observed in ferrets, with more reassortants detected in the nasal tract compared to the lower respiratory tract. The study also highlights the impact of spatial compartmentalization on the evolution and transmission of viral variants.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Ann T. Tate, Nora K. E. Schulz
Summary: The article discusses the complex relationship between hosts and their microbes within hosts and the role of mathematical models in disease biology. Insect hosts provide strong support for integrating experiments and theory in research. Studies on fruit flies, moths, beetles, and other insects have inspired important mathematical models and raised questions that are ripe for further testing in insects.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Vaidas Palinauskas, Rita Ziegyte, Jakov Sengaut, Rasa Bernotiene
Summary: Co-infection with multiple parasites is common in the wild. However, this study found that co-infection with two malarial parasites does not necessarily result in a greater number of parasites and more severe disease to the host.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Mengyue Wang, Wen Jiang
Summary: A complex cycle model of Toxoplasma gondii in a multi-host system was constructed to study the virulence evolution and the impact of transmission routes and infection regulation on host behavior. The study found that factors favoring mice were associated with decreased virulence of T. gondii, except for the decay rate of oocysts, which led to different evolutionary trajectories under different vertical transmission. The environmental infection rate of cats also had different effects depending on vertical transmission. The sensitivity analysis revealed that changing the vertical infection rate and decay rate was most effective in regulating the virulence of T. gondii.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Virology
Sissy Therese Sonnleitner, Stefanie Sonnleitner, Eva Hinterbichler, Hannah Halbfurter, Dominik B. C. Kopecky, Stephan Koblmueller, Christian Sturmbauer, Wilfried Posch, Gernot Walder
Summary: This study examined the mutation frequency and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro by isolating ancestral strains and performing serial incubation and genetic sequencing. The spike coding region was identified as a hotspot for mutations. The observed genetic changes are likely the result of directional selection and the accumulation of favorable genetic changes in the evolving variants.
Article
Biology
Abdirahman Abdi, Fiona Achcar, Lauriane Sollelis, Joao Luiz Silva-Filho, Kioko Mwikali, Michelle Muthui, Shaban Mwangi, Hannah W. Kimingi, Benedict Orindi, Cheryl Andisi Kivisi, Manon Alkema, Amrita Chandrasekar, Peter C. Bull, Philip Bejon, Katarzyna Modrzynska, Teun Bousema, Matthias Marti
Summary: The malaria parasite life cycle involves asexual replication in human blood and differentiation into gametocytes for transmission to mosquitoes. Host factors influence the commitment to differentiate into gametocytes, but the exact mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed data from 828 children in Kenya over 18 years to understand the relationship between host immunity, parasite growth, and transmission investment. We found that reduced plasma lysophosphatidylcholine levels, which are associated with inflammatory responses, are correlated with increased transmission investment and reduced asexual replication.
Article
Microbiology
Robert Thanert, JooHee Choi, Kimberly A. Reske, Tiffany Hink, Anna Thanert, Meghan A. Wallace, Bin Wang, Sondra Seiler, Candice Cass, Margaret H. Bost, Emily L. Struttmann, Zainab Hassan Iqbal, Steven R. Sax, Victoria J. Fraser, Arthur W. Baker, Katherine R. Foy, Brett Williams, Ben Xu, Pam Capocci-Tolomeo, Ebbing Lautenbach, Carey-Ann D. Burnham, Erik R. Dubberke, Jennie H. Kwon, Gautam Dantas
Summary: Large-scale genomic studies have shown that within-host adaptation is a key characteristic of bacterial infections. This study focused on the pathoadaptation of opportunistic pathogens, specifically uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), in different niches within the host. The researchers observed that UPEC lineages persisting in both the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts exhibited increased allelic diversity and evolved niche-specific adaptive mutations and genes. They also found that mobile genetic elements played a role in inter-habitat genomic plasticity, allowing the opportunistic pathogen to adapt to different physiological conditions. Reduced richness of mobile genetic elements was associated with recurrence in gut-adapted UPEC lineages.
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2022)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Flavia Camponovo, Tamsin E. Lee, Jonathan R. Russell, Lydia Burgert, Jaline Gerardin, Melissa A. Penny
Summary: Research on malaria parasite within-host dynamics has generated several mathematical models over the last 30 years. These models exhibit differences in capturing infection dynamics, particularly after disease onset, and struggle to accurately represent late infection parasitaemia data. Variability in parasite dynamics between individuals has been addressed in models through stochastic multiplication rates, variant switching dynamics, and varying immune responses. However, due to limited biological evidence, there is little support for complex models and it is suggested that future models focus on simple immune dynamics to avoid inaccuracies in representing unknown disease mechanisms.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Ann Nwankwo, Daniel Okuonghae
Summary: This study investigates the impact of macrophages' uptake of hemozoin on the dynamics of malaria within a human host. The results reveal a backward bifurcation phenomenon induced by the suppression of macrophages' phagocytic function due to their interaction with hemozoin. Moreover, numerical simulations demonstrate that the model can undergo a Hopf bifurcation with periodic solutions appearing in all compartments when the suppression rate is sufficiently small.
APPLIED MATHEMATICAL MODELLING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Sean Meaden, Loris Capria, Ellinor Alseth, Sylvain Gandon, Ambarish Biswas, Luca Lenzi, Stineke van Houte, Edze R. Westra
Summary: Studies using the model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 and its phage DMS3vir have shown that although CRISPR is initially favored, bacteria with phage receptor mutations quickly dominate the population after subsequent reinfections. The expression of phage genes before cleavage by the CRISPR-Cas immune system is the most likely explanation for the observed fitness cost induced by phages.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Vaishnovi Sekar, Ana Rivero, Romain Pigeault, Sylvain Gandon, Anna Drews, Dag Ahren, Olof Hellgren
Summary: This study investigates the transcriptomes of the Avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum in its vector Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus, revealing gene expression patterns at different key timepoints and highlighting the presence of highly stage-specific pathways throughout the infection. Analysis identified genes related to host-immune invasion, unknown functions, and potential multifunctionality of some proteins, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms of the parasite's development and gene regulation diversity in its vector stages.
Correction
Ecology
Sean Meaden, Loris Capria, Ellinor Alseth, Sylvain Gandon, Ambarish Biswas, Luca Lenzi, Stineke van Houte, Edze R. Westra
Article
Ecology
Leonor R. Rodrigues, Flore Zele, Ines Santos, Sara Magalhaes
Summary: Uninfected female spider mites showed no preference for infected or uninfected males, and did not evolve a preference after being exposed to CI for many generations. However, after experimental evolution, the copulation duration of Wolbachia-infected males was longer than uninfected males.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sylvain Gandon, Sebastien Lion
Summary: Targeted vaccination strategies may lead to faster spread of vaccine-adapted variants, while delaying the second dose of the vaccine may reduce the cumulative number of deaths.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sebastien Lion, Sylvain Gandon
Summary: In this study, the authors present a theoretical framework to understand and predict the long-term evolution of life-history traits under periodic environmental fluctuations. They investigate the influence of these fluctuations on selection in populations structured in distinct classes. The analysis reveals the time-varying selection gradients and their impact on the competitive ability of specific life-history mutations. Using this framework, the authors analyze the evolution of key life-history traits in pathogens and demonstrate how periodic fluctuations in the environment can affect the evolution of virulence, transmission, and host preference. These findings provide new and testable predictions on pathogen evolution and highlight the importance of considering time-varying environmental fluctuations in evolutionary studies.
Article
Parasitology
Camille-Sophie Cozzarolo, Romain Pigeault, Julie Isaia, Jerome Wassef, Molly Baur, Olivier Glaizot, Philippe Christe
Summary: The study finds contradictory results regarding the potential manipulation of attractiveness by malaria parasites in birds compared to mammals, highlighting the importance of ecological testing under natural conditions.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
David McLeod, Sylvain Gandon
Summary: This study investigates the joint evolution mechanism of pathogen adaptation to vaccine-induced immune response and pathogen virulence, with a focus on the protective effects of vaccines. The research reveals that vaccines that block infection, reduce transmission, and/or increase clearance generate positive epistasis between vaccine-escape and virulence alleles, while vaccines that reduce mortality generate negative epistasis. High rates of recombination can also affect these predictions.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Romain Pigeault, Mathieu Chevalier, Camille -Sophie Cozzarolo, Molly Baur, Mathilde Arlettaz, Alice Cibois, Andre Keiser, Antoine Guisan, Philippe Christe, Olivier Glaizot
Summary: Understanding the drivers of infection risk is crucial for predicting the emergence and evolution of infectious diseases. Co-infections are important in understanding host-parasite interactions. Bird ecology and phylogeny impact infection risk, and co-infections may exert stronger selective pressure than single infections.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Troy Day, David A. Kennedy, Andrew F. Read, Sylvain Gandon
Summary: This Essay summarizes the current research on pathogen evolution in the context of immune priming and discusses the future evolution of SARS-CoV-2.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luz Garcia-Longoria, Dag Ahren, Arnaud Berthomieu, Victor Kalbskopf, Ana Rivero, Olof Hellgren
Summary: This study presents the first transcriptomic analysis of the immune response of the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus to Plasmodium relictum infection. The results reveal the important roles of Toll and Imd pathways during the critical period of parasite development. Unexpected differences in immune RNA expression patterns were also observed in infected mosquitoes compared to uninfected mosquitoes. The study expands our understanding of immune pathways and the selective pressures exerted by Plasmodium parasites on their vectors.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jasmine Gamblin, Sylvain Gandon, Francois Blanquart, Amaury Lambert
Summary: This study theoretically investigates the effects of population bottlenecks on the accessibility of evolutionary paths and the rate of evolution. In the case of large population sizes and small mutation rates, bottlenecks act as a deterministic control of evolutionary paths by influencing the supply and loss of mutants. Additionally, demographic parameters can be tuned to force each possible evolutionary scenario to occur.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Van Hai Khong, Philippe Carmona, Sylvain Gandon
Summary: Seasonality can have unpredictable effects on the persistence of vector-borne diseases, as it varies across different stages of the pathogen's life cycle. This study uses a general disease model to analyze the impact of periodic fluctuations on the basic reproduction ratio of the pathogen. The analysis reveals that seasonal variations in vector density or biting rate can either increase or decrease pathogen persistence, depending on the covariance between key compartments of the epidemiological model.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2023)
