Pinning down a polymorphic parasite: New genetic and morphological descriptions of Eimeria macropodis from the Tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii)

Hill, Nichola J.; Richter, Carolin; Power, Michelle

doi:10.1016/j.parint.2012.03.003

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…A phylogeny was inferred using Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) analysis using a general time reversible (GTR) model and a gamma distribution with four rate categories. The Bayesian tree was created in Geneious version 8.1.3 using Mr. Bayes 3.2.2 [31] with 4 MCMC heated chains, a chain length of 5 million with a subsampling frequency of 1,000 and a burn-in length of 100,000 [32]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium and Giardia from the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

et al. 2017

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The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial found only in the wild in Tasmania, Australia. Tasmanian devils are classified as endangered and are currently threatened by devil facial tumour disease, a lethal transmissible cancer that has decimated the wild population in Tasmania. To prevent extinction of Tasmanian devils, conservation management was implemented in 2003 under the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. This study aimed to assess if conservation management was altering the interactions between Tasmanian devils and their parasites. Molecular tools were used to investigate the prevalence and diversity of two protozoan parasites, Cryptosporidium and Giardia, in Tasmanian devils. A comparison of parasite prevalence between wild and captive Tasmanian devils showed that both Cryptosporidium and Giardia were significantly more prevalent in wild devils (p < 0.05); Cryptosporidium was identified in 37.9% of wild devils but only 10.7% of captive devils, while Giardia was identified in 24.1% of wild devils but only 0.82% of captive devils. Molecular analysis identified the presence of novel genotypes of both Cryptosporidium and Giardia. The novel Cryptosporidium genotype was 98.1% similar at the 18S rDNA to Cryptosporidium varanii (syn. C. saurophilum) with additional samples identified as C. fayeri, C. muris, and C. galli. Two novel Giardia genotypes, TD genotype 1 and TD genotype 2, were similar to G. duodenalis from dogs (94.4%) and a Giardia assemblage A isolate from humans (86.9%). Giardia duodenalis BIV, a zoonotic genotype of Giardia, was also identified in a single captive Tasmanian devil. These findings suggest that conservation management may be altering host-parasite interactions in the Tasmanian devil, and the presence of G. duodenalis BIV in a captive devil points to possible human-devil parasite transmission.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium and Giardia from the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

et al. 2017

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“…Coccidian parasites (Apicomplexa: Eimeriorina) are traditionally classified and identified based primarily on host range and taxonomy; life cycle; and morphological characteristics of sporulated oocysts (the exogenous stage), primarily the number of sporocysts within each oocyst, the number of sporozoites per sporocyst, and oocyst size and shape (Barta et al, 1997;Jirků et al, 2002;Hill et al, 2012). Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria species contain 4 sporocysts, each enclosing 2 sporozoites (tetrasporocystic, dizoic oocyst morphology) (Mugridge et al, 1999;Jirků et al, 2009b;Power et al, 2009;Ogedengbe et al, 2011;Megía-Palma et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However transmission within a single generation of antechinus could occur during their prolonged and polygamous mating (with intromission lasting up to 12 hr at a time), when sperm from multiple males is stored in the isthmus of the female's oviduct for up to 2 wk prior to ovulation, providing an opportunity for host oocyte and zygote/embryo exposure at this site (Taggart and Temple-Smith, 1991;Shimmin et al, 2000). Coccidia from terrestrial vertebrates generally have thick, resistant oocyst walls which have evolved to persist in the external environment (Dyková and Lom, 1981;Duszynski and Wilber, 1997;Hill et al, 2012), whereas the coccidian found in the prostate of A. flavipes appears to have a thin, flexible oocyst wall that is probably less resistant to desiccation than typical eimeriid oocysts from mammals. This makes persistence of infectious oocysts in the environment for several months between generations of male hosts unlikely, although the existence of a vector, intermediate or paratenic host cannot be ruled out.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eimeria taggartiN. Sp., a Novel Coccidian (Apicomplexa: Eimeriorina) in the Prostate of anAntechinus flavipes

Amery-Gale

Devlin

Tatarczuch

et al. 2018

Journal of Parasitology

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A novel coccidian species was discovered in the prostate of an Antechinus flavipes (yellow-footed antechinus) in South Australia during the period of postmating male antechinus immunosuppression and mortality. This novel coccidian is unusual because it develops extraintestinally and sporulates endogenously within the prostate gland of its mammalian host. Histological examination of prostatic tissue revealed dense aggregations of spherical and thin-walled tetrasporocystic, dizoic, sporulated coccidian oocysts within tubular lumina, with unsporulated oocysts and gamogonic stages within the cytoplasm of glandular epithelial cells. This coccidian was observed occurring concurrently with dasyurid gammaherpesvirus 1 infection of the antechinus' prostate. Eimeria-specific 18S small-subunit ribosomal (r)DNA polymerase chain reaction amplification was used to obtain a partial 18S rDNA nucleotide sequence from the antechinus coccidian. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rDNA gene sequences revealed that the novel coccidian clusters with reptile-host coccidians, forming an ancestral basal lineage of the eimeriid clade. The species has been named Eimeria taggarti n. sp. on the basis of both sporulated oocyst morphology and molecular characterization. It is suspected that E. taggarti is sexually transmitted via excretion of sporulated oocysts or free sporocysts with prostatic secretions in semen.

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“…Molecular analysis of the 18S SSU and COI genes of E. macropodis from the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) combined with statistical analysis of oocyst traits confirmed it as a single polymorphic species with heterozygous alleles (Hill et al 2012). Analysis of 18S SSU indicated the presence of at least two alleles that may have been mistaken for distinct species of Eimeria without confirmation of heterozygosity by an alternative genetic marker.…”

Section: Eimeria and Isosporamentioning

confidence: 95%

Wildlife parasitology in Australia: past, present and future

Spratt

Beveridge

2018

Aust. J. Zool.

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Wildlife parasitology is a highly diverse area of research encompassing many fields including taxonomy, ecology, pathology and epidemiology, and with participants from extremely disparate scientific fields. In addition, the organisms studied are highly dissimilar, ranging from platyhelminths, nematodes and acanthocephalans to insects, arachnids, crustaceans and protists. This review of the parasites of wildlife in Australia highlights the advances made to date, focussing on the work, interests and major findings of researchers over the years and identifies current significant gaps that exist in our understanding. The review is divided into three sections covering protist, helminth and arthropod parasites. The challenge to document the diversity of parasites in Australia continues at a traditional level but the advent of molecular methods has heightened the significance of this issue. Modern methods are providing an avenue for major advances in documenting and restructuring the phylogeny of protistan parasites in particular, while facilitating the recognition of species complexes in helminth taxa previously defined by traditional morphological methods. The life cycles, ecology and general biology of most parasites of wildlife in Australia are extremely poorly understood. While the phylogenetic origins of the Australian vertebrate fauna are complex, so too are the likely origins of their parasites, which do not necessarily mirror those of their hosts. This aspect of parasite evolution is a continuing area for research in the case of helminths, but remains to be addressed for many other parasitic groups.

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Pinning down a polymorphic parasite: New genetic and morphological descriptions of Eimeria macropodis from the Tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii)

Cited by 18 publications

References 27 publications

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium and Giardia from the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium and Giardia from the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Eimeria taggartiN. Sp., a Novel Coccidian (Apicomplexa: Eimeriorina) in the Prostate of anAntechinus flavipes

Wildlife parasitology in Australia: past, present and future

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