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Effects of an alternative host on the prevalence and intensity of infection of a bumble bee parasite

Several bee parasites are transmitted through flowers, and some of them can infect multiple host species. Given the shared use of flowers by bee species, parasites can potentially encounter multiple host species, which could affect the evolution of parasite virulence. We used the trypanosomatid para...

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Autores principales: Pinilla-Gallego, Mario S., Irwin, Rebecca E.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Cambridge University Press 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10090601/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35067238
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S003118202200004X
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author Pinilla-Gallego, Mario S.
Irwin, Rebecca E.
author_facet Pinilla-Gallego, Mario S.
Irwin, Rebecca E.
author_sort Pinilla-Gallego, Mario S.
collection PubMed
description Several bee parasites are transmitted through flowers, and some of them can infect multiple host species. Given the shared use of flowers by bee species, parasites can potentially encounter multiple host species, which could affect the evolution of parasite virulence. We used the trypanosomatid parasite Crithidia bombi and its host, the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens), to explore the effect of infecting an alternative host, the alfalfa leaf-cutter bee (Megachile rotundata), on parasite infectivity and ability to replicate. We conducted a serial passage experiment on primary and alternative hosts, assessing infectivity and intensity of infection during five passes. Parasite cells from each pass through the alternative host were also used to infect a group of primary hosts. We found that serial passes through the alternative host increased infectivity, but there was no effect on intensity of infection. Interestingly, both the probability and intensity of infection on the primary host increased after serial passage through the alternative host. This increase in intensity of infection could be due to maladaptation after selection of new C. bombi strains has occurred in the alternative host. This study suggests that host switching has the potential to affect the adaptation of bee parasites to their hosts.
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spelling pubmed-100906012023-04-13 Effects of an alternative host on the prevalence and intensity of infection of a bumble bee parasite Pinilla-Gallego, Mario S. Irwin, Rebecca E. Parasitology Research Article Several bee parasites are transmitted through flowers, and some of them can infect multiple host species. Given the shared use of flowers by bee species, parasites can potentially encounter multiple host species, which could affect the evolution of parasite virulence. We used the trypanosomatid parasite Crithidia bombi and its host, the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens), to explore the effect of infecting an alternative host, the alfalfa leaf-cutter bee (Megachile rotundata), on parasite infectivity and ability to replicate. We conducted a serial passage experiment on primary and alternative hosts, assessing infectivity and intensity of infection during five passes. Parasite cells from each pass through the alternative host were also used to infect a group of primary hosts. We found that serial passes through the alternative host increased infectivity, but there was no effect on intensity of infection. Interestingly, both the probability and intensity of infection on the primary host increased after serial passage through the alternative host. This increase in intensity of infection could be due to maladaptation after selection of new C. bombi strains has occurred in the alternative host. This study suggests that host switching has the potential to affect the adaptation of bee parasites to their hosts. Cambridge University Press 2022-04 2022-01-24 /pmc/articles/PMC10090601/ /pubmed/35067238 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S003118202200004X Text en © The Author(s) 2022 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Pinilla-Gallego, Mario S.
Irwin, Rebecca E.
Effects of an alternative host on the prevalence and intensity of infection of a bumble bee parasite
title Effects of an alternative host on the prevalence and intensity of infection of a bumble bee parasite
title_full Effects of an alternative host on the prevalence and intensity of infection of a bumble bee parasite
title_fullStr Effects of an alternative host on the prevalence and intensity of infection of a bumble bee parasite
title_full_unstemmed Effects of an alternative host on the prevalence and intensity of infection of a bumble bee parasite
title_short Effects of an alternative host on the prevalence and intensity of infection of a bumble bee parasite
title_sort effects of an alternative host on the prevalence and intensity of infection of a bumble bee parasite
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10090601/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35067238
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S003118202200004X
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