Biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) as vectors of avian trypanosomes

Trypanosomatid flagellates have not been studied in Austria in any detail. In this study, specific nested PCR, targeted on the ribosomal small subunit, was used to determine the occurrence and diversity of trypanosomatids in wild-caught mosquitoes sampled across Eastern Austria in the years 2014−2015. We collected a total of 29,975 mosquitoes of 19 species divided in 1680 pools. Of these, 298 (17.7%), representing 12 different mosquito species, were positive for trypanosomatid DNA. In total, seven trypanosomatid spp. were identified (three Trypanosoma, three Crithidia and one Herpetomonas species), with the highest parasite species diversity found in the mosquito host Coquillettidia richiardii. The most frequent parasite species belonged to the mammalian Trypanosoma theileri/cervi species complex (found in 105 pools; 6.3%). The avian species T. culicavium (found in 69 pools; 4.1%) was only detected in mosquitoes of the genus Culex, which corresponds to their preference for avian hosts. Monoxenous trypanosomatids of the genus Crithidia and Herpetomonas were found in 20 (1.3%) mosquito pools. One third (n = 98) of the trypanosomatid positive mosquito pools carried more than one parasite species. This is the first large scale study of trypanosomatid parasites in Austrian mosquitoes and our results are valuable in providing an overview of the diversity of these parasites in Austria.

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“…[ 37 , 45 ], and the T . bennetti group by biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) [ 46 ]. In 2012, a new trypanosome species, T .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trypanosomatid parasites in Austrian mosquitoes

et al. 2018

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“…However, as suggested in previous studies, it is possible that both ticks and dipterans (i.e. flies and mosquitoes) are vectors of these parasites as they can feed on a large variety of hosts including mammals, birds and amphibians [ 4 , 18 – 20 , 22 , 57 , 58 ]. Some hemipterans might also play a vectorial role in the transmission of trypanosomes in sylvatic and peridomestic settings, as documented in the Americas [ 59 – 61 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meta-transcriptomic identification of Trypanosoma spp. in native wildlife species from Australia

et al. 2020

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Background Wildlife species carry a remarkable diversity of trypanosomes. The detection of trypanosome infection in native Australian fauna is central to understanding their diversity and host-parasite associations. The implementation of total RNA sequencing (meta-transcriptomics) in trypanosome surveillance and diagnosis provides a powerful methodological approach to better understand the host species distribution of this important group of parasites. Methods We implemented a meta-transcriptomic approach to detect trypanosomes in a variety of tissues (brain, liver, lung, skin, gonads) sampled from native Australian wildlife, comprising four marsupials (koala, Phascolarctos cinereus ; southern brown bandicoot, Isoodon obesulus ; swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor ; bare-nosed wombat, Vombatus ursinus ), one bird (regent honeyeater, Anthochaera phrygia ) and one amphibian (eastern dwarf tree frog, Litoria fallax ). Samples corresponded to both clinically healthy and diseased individuals. Sequencing reads were de novo assembled into contigs and annotated. The evolutionary relationships among the trypanosomatid sequences identified were determined through phylogenetic analysis of 18S rRNA sequences. Results We detected trypanosome sequences in all six species of vertebrates sampled, with positive samples in multiple organs and tissues confirmed by PCR. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the trypanosomes infecting marsupials were related to those previously detected in placental and marsupial mammals, while the trypanosome in the regent honeyeater grouped with avian trypanosomes. In contrast, we provide the first evidence for a trypanosome in the eastern dwarf tree frog that was phylogenetically distinct from those described in other amphibians. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first meta-transcriptomic analysis of trypanosomes in native Australian wildlife, expanding the known genetic diversity of these important parasites. We demonstrated that RNA sequencing is sufficiently sensitive to detect low numbers of Trypanosoma transcripts and from diverse hosts and tissues types, thereby representing an effective means to detect trypanosomes that are divergent in genome sequence.

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“…However, the number of studies combining both the feeding behavior of mosquitoes and the transmission of avian Plasmodium are still very rare (Ejiri et al, 2011;Ferraguti et al, 2013;Martínezde la Puente et al, 2016), mainly due to the difficult task of capturing engorged mosquitoes during short field seasons. Other vector-parasite systems suffer from the same fieldwork limitations, and to date, very few studies investigated the vector specificity in closely related haemosporidian parasites (Leucocytozoon: Hellgren et al, 2008;Haemoproteus: Martínezde la Puente et al, 2011) or other blood parasites (e.g., Trypanosoma: Bennett, 1961;Svobodová et al, 2017). More efforts should be put on regular and constant surveys using various resting boxes to increase resting insects' collections and blood fed females (Panella et al, 2011) even though it is particularly time consuming.…”

Section: How Can We Determine the Vector Specificity Of Avian Plasmodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Host Selection by Mosquitoes Driving Vector Specificity of Parasites? A Review on the Avian Malaria Model

Gutiérrez‐López¹,

Bourret²,

Loiseau³

2020

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Parasites and hosts are in a complex evolutionary arm race where host compatibility represents a key obstacle for successful infections. The degree of parasite specialization on a host varies along a continuum: on one end, extreme specialist parasites may be restricted to a single host species, and on the other, generalist parasites are able to infect a diverse set of hosts. Multiple intrinsic factors associated to the host, such as their immune system and physiological condition, can contribute to the evolution of host specificity of parasites and have been well-studied and documented in vertebrates. In contrast, vector specificity of parasites has been largely overlooked, especially in natural conditions. While a few studies suggested that insect vectors do not play an important role in shaping the parasite community structure since they may feed widely from the bird community, current studies have demonstrated the importance of vector feeding behavior on transmission dynamics for several vector-borne pathogens. Here, we provide a review on the specialization of avian Plasmodium in vectors, emphasizing the necessity to study simultaneously the three players to further understand how host choice by the vectors might influence the distribution of parasites in the wild. In addition, we suggest specific research directions making use of both empirical data gathered in the field and controlled experiments on vector host-feeding preferences.

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Biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) as vectors of avian trypanosomes

Cited by 36 publications

References 26 publications

Trypanosomatid parasites in Austrian mosquitoes

Trypanosomatid parasites in Austrian mosquitoes

Meta-transcriptomic identification of Trypanosoma spp. in native wildlife species from Australia

Is Host Selection by Mosquitoes Driving Vector Specificity of Parasites? A Review on the Avian Malaria Model

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