Competition between strains of Borrelia afzelii inside the rodent host and the tick vector.

Autor:	Genné D; Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland dolores.genne@unine.ch., Sarr A; Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland., Gomez-Chamorro A; Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland., Durand J; Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland., Cayol C; Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland., Rais O; Laboratory of Ecology and Epidemiology of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland., Voordouw MJ; Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Parasites, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.; Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Proceedings. Biological sciences [Proc Biol Sci] 2018 Oct 31; Vol. 285 (1890). Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Oct 31.
DOI:	10.1098/rspb.2018.1804
Abstrakt:	Multiple-strain pathogens often establish mixed infections inside the host that result in competition between strains. In vector-borne pathogens, the competitive ability of strains must be measured in both the vertebrate host and the arthropod vector to understand the outcome of competition. Such studies could reveal the existence of trade-offs in competitive ability between different host types. We used the tick-borne bacterium Borrelia afzelii to test for competition between strains in the rodent host and the tick vector, and to test for a trade-off in competitive ability between these two host types. Mice were infected via tick bite with either one or two strains, and these mice were subsequently used to create ticks with single or mixed infections. Competition in the rodent host reduced strain-specific host-to-tick transmission and competition in the tick vector reduced the abundance of both strains. The strain that was competitively superior in host-to-tick transmission was competitively inferior with respect to bacterial abundance in the tick. This study suggests that in multiple-strain vector-borne pathogens there are trade-offs in competitive ability between the vertebrate host and the arthropod vector. Such trade-offs could play an important role in the coexistence of pathogen strains. (© 2018 The Author(s).)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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