Cost of co-infection controlled by infectious dose combinations and food availability

Fellous, Simon; Koella, Jacob C.

doi:10.1007/s00442-009-1535-2

Cited by 21 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…), parasite dose (Fellous & Koella ; Seppälä et al . ), host age (Cattadori, Boag & Hudson ) and food availability (Fellous & Koella , ) all shape host or parasite life history in co‐infections.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The consequences of co‐infections for parasite transmission in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

Duncan

Agnew

Noël

et al. 2014

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Summary1. Co-infections may modify parasite transmission opportunities directly as a consequence of interactions in the within-host environment, but also indirectly through changes in host life history. Furthermore, host and parasite traits are sensitive to the abiotic environment with variable consequences for parasite transmission in co-infections. 2. We investigate how co-infection of the mosquito Aedes aegypti with two microsporidian parasites (Vavraia culicis and Edhazardia aedis) at two levels of larval food availability affects parasite transmission directly, and indirectly through effects on host traits. 3. In a laboratory infection experiment, we compared how co-infection, at low and high larval food availability, affected the probability of infection, within-host growth and the transmission potential of each parasite, compared to single infections. Horizontal transmission was deemed possible for both parasites when infected hosts died harbouring horizontally transmitting spores. Vertical transmission was judged possible for E. aedis when infected females emerged as adults. We also compared the total input number of spores used to seed infections with output number, in single and co-infections for each parasite. 4. The effects of co-infection on parasite fitness were complex, especially for V. culicis. In low larval food conditions, co-infection increased the chances of mosquitoes dying as larvae or pupae, thus increasing opportunities for V. culicis' horizontal transmission. However, coinfection reduced larval longevity and hence time available for V. culicis spore production. Overall, there was a negative net effect of co-infection on V. culicis, whereby the number of spores produced was less than the number used to seed infection. Co-infections also negatively affected horizontal transmission of the more virulent parasite, E. aedis, through reduced longevity of pre-adult hosts. However, its potential transmission suffered less relative to V. culicis. 5. Our results show that co-infection can negatively affect parasite transmission opportunities, both directly as well as indirectly via effects on host life history. We also find that transmission is contingent on the combined effect of the abiotic environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The consequences of co‐infections for parasite transmission in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

Duncan

Agnew

Noël

et al. 2014

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…The evolution of parasite life history has traditionally been studied by characterizing components of host and parasite fitness at one or few times during the course of infection [1][2][3][4]. This approach has proved appropriate for understanding how complex interactions between host and parasite genotypes, as well as environment factors, influence the outcome of infection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expression of parasite genetic variation changes over the course of infection: implications of within-host dynamics for the evolution of virulence

2015

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How infectious disease agents interact with their host changes during the course of infection and can alter the expression of disease-related traits. Yet by measuring parasite life-history traits at one or few moments during infection, studies have overlooked the impact of variable parasite growth trajectories on disease evolution. Here we show that infection-age-specific estimates of host and parasite fitness components can reveal new insight into the evolution of parasites. We do so by characterizing the within-host dynamics over an entire infection period for five genotypes of the castrating bacterial parasite Pasteuria ramosa infecting the crustacean Daphnia magna. Our results reveal that genetic variation for parasite-induced gigantism, host castration and parasite spore loads increases with the age of infection. Driving these patterns appears to be variation in how well the parasite maintains control of host reproduction late in the infection process. We discuss the evolutionary consequences of this finding with regard to natural selection acting on different ages of infection and the mechanism underlying the maintenance of castration efficiency. Our results highlight how elucidating within-host dynamics can shed light on the selective forces that shape infection strategies and the evolution of virulence.

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“…Food stress, for example, can exacerbate the harmful effects of infection [21-23], so it may also increase the importance of trans-generational effects. Potentially adaptive effects may also switch with the presence of a second stressor.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly to microsporidian infection, poor nutrition of mosquito larvae increases development time [23,29] and decreases survival [25]. Here, a full factorial experiment where Anopheles gambiae s.s .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal environment shapes the life history and susceptibility to malaria of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes

Lorenz

Koella

2011

Malar J

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BackgroundIt is becoming generally recognized that an individual's phenotype can be shaped not only by its own genotype and environmental experience, but also by its mother's environment and condition. Maternal environmental factors can influence mosquitoes' population dynamics and susceptibility to malaria, and therefore directly and indirectly the epidemiology of malaria.MethodsIn a full factorial experiment, the effects of two environmental stressors - food availability and infection with the microsporidian parasite Vavraia culicis - of female mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto) on their offspring's development, survival and susceptibility to malaria were studied.ResultsThe offspring of A. gambiae s.s. mothers infected with V. culicis developed into adults more slowly than those of uninfected mothers. This effect was exacerbated when mothers were reared on low food. Maternal food availability had no effect on the survival of their offspring up to emergence, and microsporidian infection decreased survival only slightly. Low food availability for mothers increased and V. culicis-infection of mothers decreased the likelihood that the offspring fed on malaria-infected blood harboured malaria parasites (but neither maternal treatment influenced their survival up to dissection).ConclusionsResource availability and infection with V. culicis of A. gambiae s.s. mosquitoes not only acted as direct environmental stimuli for changes in the success of one generation, but could also lead to maternal effects. Maternal V. culicis infection could make offspring more resistant and less likely to transmit malaria, thus enhancing the efficacy of the microsporidian for the biological control of malaria.

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Cost of co-infection controlled by infectious dose combinations and food availability

Cited by 21 publications

References 32 publications

The consequences of co‐infections for parasite transmission in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

The consequences of co‐infections for parasite transmission in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

Expression of parasite genetic variation changes over the course of infection: implications of within-host dynamics for the evolution of virulence

Maternal environment shapes the life history and susceptibility to malaria of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes

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