Mites as biological tags of their hosts

Bruyndonckx, Nadia; Biollaz, François; Dubey, Sylvain; Goudet, Jérôme; Christe, Philippe

doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04699.x

Cited by 32 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 54 publications

(128 reference statements)

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“…2010), but also to a higher frequency of multiple infections—e.g. with parasites originating from diverse genetic strains (Bruyndonckx et al. 2009, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disease in the dark: molecular characterization of Polychromophilus murinus in temperate zone bats revealed a worldwide distribution of this malaria‐like disease

2010

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For a better understanding of the complex coevolutionary processes between hosts and parasites, accurate identification of the actors involved in the interaction is of fundamental importance. Blood parasites of the Order Haemosporidia, responsible for malaria, have become the focus of a broad range of studies in evolutionary biology. Interestingly, molecular-based studies on avian malaria have revealed much higher species diversity than previously inferred with morphology. Meanwhile, studies on bat haemosporidian have been largely neglected. In Europe, only one genus (Polychromophilus) and two species have been morphologically described. To evaluate the presence of potential cryptic species and parasite prevalence, we undertook a molecular characterization of Polychromophilus in temperate zone bats. We used a nested-PCR approach on the cytochrome b mitochondrial gene to detect the presence of parasites in 237 bats belonging to four different species and in the dipteran bat fly Nycteribia kolenatii, previously described as being the vector of Polychromophilus. Polychromophilus murinus was found in the four bat species and in the insect vector with prevalence ranging from 4% for Myotis myotis to 51% for M. daubentoni. By sequencing 682 bp, we then investigated the phylogenetic relationships of Polychromophilus to other published malarial lineages. Seven haplotypes were found, all very closely related, suggesting the presence of a single species in our samples. These haplotypes formed a well-defined clade together with Haemosporidia of tropical bats, revealing a worldwide distribution of this parasite mostly neglected by malarial studies since the 1980s.

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“…2010), but also to a higher frequency of multiple infections—e.g. with parasites originating from diverse genetic strains (Bruyndonckx et al. 2009, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disease in the dark: molecular characterization of Polychromophilus murinus in temperate zone bats revealed a worldwide distribution of this malaria‐like disease

2010

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“…However, Bruyndonckx et al (2009Bruyndonckx et al ( , 2010 found hints of co-speciation even between European bats and their ectoparasitic mites (Guiller and Deunff 2010). On this smaller scale, patterns are not always as clear as demonstrated by a study on co-speciation patterns of nycteribiid bat flies and their host bats in Japan.…”

mentioning

confidence: 80%

Macroparasites of Microchiroptera: Bat Ectoparasites of Central and South America

Frank

Münster

Schulze

et al. 2013

Bats (Chiroptera) as Vectors of Diseases and Parasites

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The highest density of bat species in the world is reached in South and Central America. Representatives of nine families occur in this gigantic region between the southern part of the continental twin and the land bridge to North America. They display a high degree of ecological variance: exemplified by species with extensive or endemic distributions, specialist and generalist feeding habits, colonial and solitary roosting, and those that are migratory or permanently resident. However, they are all exposed to the deleterious effects of parasites. In terms of the number of species and higher taxa, the diversity of parasites considerably exceeds that of their hosts. A total of 172 bat species of 9 families as hosts and 273 ectoparasite species are summarised in this review. We included data from 20 South and Central American countries. Of foremost importance are Diptera of the families Nycteribiidae and Streblidae with 187 different species. For the last mentioned family, we recorded more than 61 % of the worldwide known species. Further, fleas (Siphonaptera) (8 species), bugs (Hemiptera) (4 species) and Arachnida of the orders Ixodida and Mesostigmata (74 species) are also represented. The large numbers of species, like Basilia carteri, belong to the two families of Diptera, which parasitise only on bats. Together with their high degree of specialisation, it is an indication for their high rate of adaptation. Investigations on the parasite fauna of bats have been conducted in the named areas with different frequency and intensity. This chapter contains a reference list of the bats that have been scientifically studied in South and Central America so far, with respect to their associated parasites. We

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“…; Bruyndonckx et al . ). Moreover, parasites can reveal nonreproductive contact between different host populations or even different host species (Bruyndonckx et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

How a haemosporidian parasite of bats gets around: the genetic structure of a parasite, vector and host compared

et al. 2015

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Parasite population structure is often thought to be largely shaped by that of its host. In the case of a parasite with a complex life cycle, two host species, each with their own patterns of demography and migration, spread the parasite. However, the population structure of the parasite is predicted to resemble only that of the most vagile host species. In this study, we tested this prediction in the context of a vector-transmitted parasite. We sampled the haemosporidian parasite Polychromophilus melanipherus across its European range, together with its bat fly vector Nycteribia schmidlii and its host, the bent-winged bat Miniopterus schreibersii. Based on microsatellite analyses, the wingless vector, and not the bat host, was identified as the least structured population and should therefore be considered the most vagile host. Genetic distance matrices were compared for all three species based on a mitochondrial DNA fragment. Both host and vector populations followed an isolation-by-distance pattern across the Mediterranean, but not the parasite. Mantel tests found no correlation between the parasite and either the host or vector populations. We therefore found no support for our hypothesis; the parasite population structure matched neither vector nor host. Instead, we propose a model where the parasite's gene flow is represented by the added effects of host and vector dispersal patterns.

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Mites as biological tags of their hosts

Cited by 32 publications

References 54 publications

Disease in the dark: molecular characterization of Polychromophilus murinus in temperate zone bats revealed a worldwide distribution of this malaria‐like disease

Disease in the dark: molecular characterization of Polychromophilus murinus in temperate zone bats revealed a worldwide distribution of this malaria‐like disease

Macroparasites of Microchiroptera: Bat Ectoparasites of Central and South America

How a haemosporidian parasite of bats gets around: the genetic structure of a parasite, vector and host compared

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