Scholarlink

Background <p>Schistosomiasis is a snail-borne disease affecting over 200&#xa0;million people worldwide. Despite dedicated control efforts and effective diagnostic tools, schistosomiasis remains prevalent. Novel and sustainable control measures are urgently needed. Bacteria might offer such a solution as links between bacteria, disease resistance and transmission potential of intermediate hosts have been established in other systems. To better understand the tripartite interaction potentially driving snail-schistosome compatibility patterns, microbial communities must be investigated throughout and across various parasite exposure conditions. Therefore, we studied <i>Biomphalaria glabrata</i> snails exposed to a high- and low-shedder population of <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> and <i>Schistosoma rodhaini</i> in single and co-exposure experiments. Snails were sacrificed at different time points post-exposure and their bacterial communities and trematode (co-)infection status were determined through metabarcoding tools.</p> Results <p>Snails infected by low- and high-shedder <i>S. mansoni</i> populations were more likely to have bacterial community dysbiosis than those infected by <i>S. rodhaini</i> but this was also affected by miracidial load. Moreover, the single-infection hierarchical effect on the bacterial component of the microbiome is not maintained under co-infection with <i>S. rodhaini</i>, which appears to stabilize the snail’s bacterial profile even after being outcompeted by high-shedder <i>S. mansoni</i>. Finally, alpha diversity differed significantly between infected and uninfected snails around the onset period of shedding at 30 days post-miracidial exposure.</p> Conclusion <p>The timing of this bacterial shift suggests an intricate parasite-snail interaction around key parasite development moments. Future studies investigating the tripartite interaction are advised to consider the effect of outcompeted or prepatent infections on the snail’s microbiome.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Schistosome species, parasite development, and co-infection combinations determine microbiome dynamics in the snail Biomphalaria glabrata

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月2日

查看全文
  • Ruben Schols,
  • Cyril Hammoud,
  • Karen Bisschop,
  • Isabel Vanoverberghe,
  • Tine Huyse,
  • Ellen Decaestecker

摘要

Background

Schistosomiasis is a snail-borne disease affecting over 200 million people worldwide. Despite dedicated control efforts and effective diagnostic tools, schistosomiasis remains prevalent. Novel and sustainable control measures are urgently needed. Bacteria might offer such a solution as links between bacteria, disease resistance and transmission potential of intermediate hosts have been established in other systems. To better understand the tripartite interaction potentially driving snail-schistosome compatibility patterns, microbial communities must be investigated throughout and across various parasite exposure conditions. Therefore, we studied Biomphalaria glabrata snails exposed to a high- and low-shedder population of Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma rodhaini in single and co-exposure experiments. Snails were sacrificed at different time points post-exposure and their bacterial communities and trematode (co-)infection status were determined through metabarcoding tools.

Results

Snails infected by low- and high-shedder S. mansoni populations were more likely to have bacterial community dysbiosis than those infected by S. rodhaini but this was also affected by miracidial load. Moreover, the single-infection hierarchical effect on the bacterial component of the microbiome is not maintained under co-infection with S. rodhaini, which appears to stabilize the snail’s bacterial profile even after being outcompeted by high-shedder S. mansoni. Finally, alpha diversity differed significantly between infected and uninfected snails around the onset period of shedding at 30 days post-miracidial exposure.

Conclusion

The timing of this bacterial shift suggests an intricate parasite-snail interaction around key parasite development moments. Future studies investigating the tripartite interaction are advised to consider the effect of outcompeted or prepatent infections on the snail’s microbiome.