Inside Pandora's box: Development of the lethal myrmecopathogenic fungus Pandora formicae within its ant host

Mechanisms behind the Madness: How Do Zombie-Making Fungal Entomopathogens Affect Host Behavior To Increase Transmission?

“…Many entomophthoralean and hypocrealean fungi rely on host movement to transport them toward conditions that favor spore production and dissemination. Fungal manipulators that infect eusocial insects (i.e., Pandora and Ophiocordyceps species) appear to particularly benefit from increased locomotion activities in their hosts ( 21 , 26 – 28 ). Ophiocordyceps -infected ants display a directionless, constant locomotion activity that hampers effective foraging efforts ( 28 ).…”

“…Entomopathogenic fungi vary in which host tissues they occupy, nervous tissue being a prime example. There is mounting evidence that entomophthoralean species ( E. muscae and Entomophthora aphidis , Entomophaga grylli , Strongwellsea castrans , Conidiobolus coronatus , Pandora formicae ) infiltrate the brain tissue of their hosts (fruit flies, aphids, grasshoppers, anthomyiid flies, mosquitoes, and ants, respectively) while the hosts are still alive ( 17 , 26 , 58 – 62 ). In contrast, Ophiocordyceps species do not infiltrate the nervous tissue of their carpenter ant hosts until after death, despite their unabated expansion into the muscle tissue ( 35 , 63 , 64 ).…”

“…Ophiocordyceps infections take place slowly, over the course of weeks, providing more time for manipulation of behaviors that drive the ant away from the nest and upward ( 18 , 21 , 27 ). Pandora , on the other hand, infiltrates its ant hosts in a matter of days, resulting in mound biting or gripping onto blades of grass near the ant mound ( 26 ). The rate of pathogenicity and the rate of fungal expansion into various host tissues are, therefore, likely tied to selective pressures requiring differing degrees of host manipulation.…”

Hijacking time: How Ophiocordyceps fungi could be using ant host clocks to manipulate behavior

“…Efforts are underway to expose these mechanisms in various emerging parasite–host model systems. The focus of these efforts largely centres around the discovery of the candidate parasite neuromodulating compounds involved and the potential host tissues that are mechanically (i.e., tissue invasion and degradation) and chemically (i.e., bioamine imbalances) affected 16–24 21,23,25‐31 .…”

“…The focus of these efforts largely centres around the discovery of the candidate parasite neuromodulating compounds involved and the potential host tissues that are mechanically (i.e., tissue invasion and degradation) and chemically (i.e., bioamine imbalances) affected. 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 While these are excellent avenues towards unveiling some of the complex mechanisms that underlie the parasitic manipulation of host behaviour, they neglect the exquisite daily timing with which manipulated behavioural phenotypes have been reported to present themselves. 21 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 As such, they do not consider the role of biological clocks in parasite–host interactions and their potential involvement in establishing behavioural manipulations.…”