Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

19 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

Behavioural effects of the common brain-infecting parasite Pseudoloma neurophilia in laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio).

ABSTRACT: Research conducted on model organisms may be biased due to undetected pathogen infections. Recently, screening studies discovered high prevalence of the microsporidium Pseudoloma neurophilia in zebrafish (Danio rerio) facilities. This spore-forming unicellular parasite aggregates in brain regions associated with motor function and anxiety, and despite its high occurrence little is known about how sub-clinical infection affects behaviour. Here, we assessed how P. neurophilia infection alters the zebrafish´s response to four commonly used neurobehavioral tests, namely: mirror biting, open field, light/dark preference and social preference, used to quantify aggression, exploration, anxiety, and sociability. Although sociability and aggression remained unaltered, infected hosts exhibited reduced activity, elevated rates of freezing behaviour, and sex-specific effects on exploration. These results indicate that caution is warranted in the interpretation of zebrafish behaviour, particularly since in most cases infection status is unknown. This highlights the importance of comprehensive monitoring procedures to detect sub-clinical infections in laboratory animals.

SUBMITTER: Midttun HLE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7228949 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Similar Datasets

Genome Analysis of Pseudoloma neurophilia: A Microsporidian Parasite of Zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Project description:Microsporidia are highly successful parasites that infect virtually all known animal lineages, including the model Danio rerio (zebrafish). The widespread use of this aquatic model for biomedical research has resulted in an unexpected increase in infections from the microsporidium Pseudoloma neurophilia, which can lead to significant physical, behavioral, and immunological modifications, resulting in nonprotocol variation during experimental procedures. Here, we seek to obtain insights into the biology of P. neurophilia by investigating its genome content, which was obtained from only 29 nanograms of DNA using the MiSeq technology and paired-end Illumina sequencing. We found that the genome of P. neurophilia is phylogenetically and genetically related to other fish-microsporidians, but features unique to this intracellular parasite are also found. The small 5.25-Mb genome assembly includes 1,139 unique open-reading frames and an unusually high number of transposable elements for such a small genome. Investigations of intragenomic diversity also provided strong indications that the mononucleate nucleus of this species is diploid. Overall, our study provides insights into the dynamics of microsporidian genomes and a solid sequence reference to be used in future studies of host-parasite interactions using the zebrafish D. rerio and P. neurophilia as a model.

| S-EPMC5124540 | biostudies-literature

Development of a sensitive assay for the detection of Pseudoloma neurophilia in laboratory populations of the zebrafish Danio rerio.

Project description:The zebrafish Danio rerio is an increasingly important biological model in many areas of research. Due to the potential for non-protocol-induced variation, diseases of zebrafish, especially those resulting in chronic, sub-lethal infections, are of great concern. The microsporidium Pseudoloma neurophilia is a common parasite of laboratory zebrafish. Current methods for detection of this parasite require lethal sampling of fish, which is often undesirable with poorly spawning mutant lines and small populations. We present here an improved molecular-based diagnostic assay using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and including sonication treatment prior to DNA extraction. Comparisons of several DNA extraction methods were performed to determine the method providing the maximum sensitivity. Sonication was found to be the most effective method for disrupting spores. Compared to previously published data on PCR-based assay using a dilution experiment, sensitivity is increased. This shows that our assay, which includes sonication, is capable of detecting parasite DNA at 1 log higher dilution than the conventional PCR-based assay, which does not include sonication. Furthermore, we demonstrate the application of this method to testing of water, eggs, and sperm, providing a potential non-lethal method for detection of this parasite in zebrafish colonies with a sensitivity of 10 spores 1(-1) of water, 2 spores per spiked egg sample, and 10 spores microl(-1) of spiked sperm sample.

| S-EPMC3358228 | biostudies-literature

Unusual fluorescent granulomas and myonecrosis in Danio rerio infected by the microsporidian pathogen Pseudoloma neurophilia.

Project description:Abstract Zebrafish are a powerful model organism to study disease. Like other animal models, Danio rerio colonies are at risk of pathogenic infection. Microsporidia, a group of intracellular fungus-like parasites, are one potential threat. Microsporidian spores germinate and spread causing pathological changes in the central nervous system, skeletal muscle, and other anatomic sites. Infection can impair breeding, cause other morbidities, and ultimately be lethal. Previously, detecting microsporidia in zebrafish has required sacrificing animals for histopathologic analysis or microscopic examination of fresh tissues. Here, we show that fish with microsporidial infection often have autofluorescent nodules, and we demonstrate infectious spread from nodule-bearing fish to healthy D. rerio. Histologic analyses revealed that fluorescent nodules are granulomatous lesions composed of spores, degenerating muscle, and inflammatory cells. Additional histologic staining verified that microsporidia were present, specifically, Pseudoloma neurophilia. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based testing confirmed the presence of P. neurophilia. Further PCR testing excluded infection by another common zebrafish microsporidial parasite, Pleistophora hyphessobryconis. Collectively, these studies show that P. neurophilia can induce skeletal muscle granulomas in D. rerio, a previously unknown finding. Moreover, since granulomas autofluoresce, microscopic screening for P. neurophilia infection is feasible in live fish, avoiding the need to sacrifice fish for surveillance for this pathogen.

| S-EPMC4050717 | biostudies-literature

Development, ultrastructural pathology, and taxonomic revision of the Microsporidial genus, Pseudoloma and its type species Pseudoloma neurophilia, in skeletal muscle and nervous tissue of experimentally infected zebrafish Danio rerio.

Project description:The microsporidium Pseudoloma neurophilia was initially reported to infect the central nervous system of zebrafish causing lordosis and eventually death. Subsequently, muscle tissue infections were also identified. To understand the infection process, development, and ultrastructural pathology of this microsporidium, larval and adult zebrafish were fed P. neurophilia spores. Spores were detected in the larval fish digestive tract 3-h postexposure (PE). By 4.5-d PE, developing parasite stages were identified in muscle tissue. Wet preparations of larvae collected at 8-d PE showed aggregates of spores in the spinal cord adjacent to the notochord. All parasite stages, including spores, were present in the musculature of larval fish 8-d PE. Adult zebrafish sacrificed 45-d PE had fully developed infections in nerves. Ultrastructural study of the developmental cycle of P. neurophilia revealed that proliferative stages undergo karyokinesis, producing tetranucleate stages that then divide into uninucleate cells. The plasmalemma of proliferative cells has a previously unreported glycocalyx-like coat that interfaces with the host cell cytoplasm. Sporogonic stages form sporophorous vacuoles (SPOV) derived from the plasmalemmal dense surface coat, which "blisters" off sporonts. Uninucleate sporoblasts and spores develop in the SPOV. The developmental cycle is identical in both nerve and muscle. The SPOV surface is relatively thick and is the outermost parasite surface entity; thus, xenomas are not formed. Based on the new information provided by this study, the taxonomic description of the genus Pseudoloma and its type species, P. neurophilia, is modified and its life cycle described.

| S-EPMC4007651 | biostudies-literature

Occurrence of a myxozoan parasite Myxidium streisingeri n. sp. in laboratory zebrafish Danio rerio.

Project description:Over several years of screening diagnostic cases, the Zebrafish International Resource Center Health Services has encountered a myxozoan parasite of the ducts associated with the kidney in zebrafish, Danio rerio , from an average of 21% of facilities submitting specimens over 5 yr. The parasite is coelozoic and is associated with no appreciable histological changes. Plasmodia bear ovoid spores with 3 sutural ridges. Spores are consistent with the genus Myxidium, but they are distinct from any known species and are thus described as Myxidium streisingeri n. sp. Phylogenetically, this parasite is a member of the polyphyletic urinary bladder clade, which is consistent with the site of infection. The common occurrence of a myxozoan in this closed husbandry system is unexpected because these parasites are known to have complex life cycles, alternating between a vertebrate and invertebrate host. It may be that biofilters provide habitat for suitable invertebrate hosts or perhaps M. streisingeri n. sp. can be transmitted directly. Future control of this parasite in zebrafish research laboratories depends on a better understanding of this life cycle.

| S-EPMC4407466 | biostudies-literature

Pleistophora hyphessobryconis (Microsporidia) infecting zebrafish Danio rerio in research facilities.

Project description:Zebrafish Danio rerio are important models for biomedical research, and thus, there is an increased concern about diseases afflicting them. Here we describe infections by Pleistophora hyphessobryconis (Microsporidia) in zebrafish from 3 laboratories. As reported in other aquarium fishes, affected zebrafish exhibited massive infections in the skeletal muscle, with no involvement of smooth or cardiac muscle. In addition, numerous spores within macrophages were observed in the visceral organs, including the ovaries. Transmission studies and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequence comparisons confirmed that the parasite from zebrafish was P. hyphessobryconis as described from neon tetra Paracheirodon innesi. Ten 15 d old zebrafish were exposed to P. hyphessobryconis collected from 1 infected neon tetra, and 7 of 10 fish became infected. Comparison of P. hyphessobryconis small subunit rRNA gene sequence from neon tetra with that obtained from zebrafish was nearly identical, with < 1% difference. Given the severity of infections, P. hyphessobryconis should be added to the list of pathogens that should be avoided in zebrafish research facilities, and it would be prudent to avoid mixing zebrafish used in research with other aquarium fishes.

| S-EPMC4155925 | biostudies-literature

Population genomics of wild and laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Project description:Understanding a wider range of genotype-phenotype associations can be achieved through ecological and evolutionary studies of traditional laboratory models. Here, we conducted the first large-scale geographic analysis of genetic variation within and among wild zebrafish (Danio rerio) populations occurring in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, and we genetically compared wild populations to several commonly used lab strains. We examined genetic variation at 1832 polymorphic EST-based single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the cytb mitochondrial gene in 13 wild populations and three lab strains. Natural populations were subdivided into three major mitochondrial DNA clades with an average among-clade sequence divergence of 5.8%. SNPs revealed five major evolutionarily and genetically distinct groups with an overall FST of 0.170 (95% CI 0.105-0.254). These genetic groups corresponded to discrete geographic regions and appear to reflect isolation in refugia during past climate cycles. We detected 71 significantly divergent outlier loci (3.4%) and nine loci (0.5%) with significantly low FST values. Valleys of reduced heterozygosity, consistent with selective sweeps, surrounded six of the 71 outliers (8.5%). The lab strains formed two additional groups that were genetically distinct from all wild populations. An additional subset of outlier loci was consistent with domestication selection within lab strains. Substantial genetic variation that exists in zebrafish as a whole is missing from lab strains that we analysed. A combination of laboratory and field studies that incorporates genetic variation from divergent wild populations along with the wealth of molecular information available for this model organism provides an opportunity to advance our understanding of genetic influences on phenotypic variation for a vertebrate species.

| S-EPMC3627301 | biostudies-literature

Primary intestinal and vertebral chordomas in laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Project description:Chordomas are uncommon neoplasms arising from notochord remnants, most commonly occurring in the axial skeleton. Extraskeletal soft tissue chordomas are rare primary tumors, and primary alimentary tract chordomas have not been reported. Herein we report 24 cases of spontaneous primary intestinal chordomas in zebrafish, as well as 9 spontaneous vertebral chordomas. Both intestinal and vertebral tumors showed invasive behavior, although more commonly in the latter. In all cases of primary intestinal chordomas, there was no axial or peripheral skeletal or other nonvisceral involvement. Although uncommon, intestinal chordomas represent a unique background lesion in aged zebrafish.

| S-EPMC4261063 | biostudies-literature

Evaluation of anaesthetic protocols for laboratory adult zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Project description:In the last decades, the use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in biomedical research has increased. Anaesthesia is daily used in fish during experimental procedures to avoid discomfort, stress or pain. Also, fish welfare and the reliability of results can be compromised if an unsuitable anaesthetic protocol is used. Therefore, we aimed to refine anaesthetic protocols to be used in adult zebrafish by evaluating the efficacy of different anaesthetics, used alone or in combination. For that, zebrafish were randomly assigned to 8 different groups: 100 ?g/mLMS-222 (MS); 0.2 ?g/mL etomidate (E); 0.2 ?g/mL etomidate + 100 ?g/mL lidocaine (E+L); 1.25 ?g/mL propofol (P); 1.25 ?g/mL propofol + 100 ?g/mL lidocaine (P+L); 100 ?g/mL ketamine (K); 100 ?g/mL ketamine + 1.25 ?g/mL medetomidine (K+M); and 100 ?g/mL ketamine + 1.25 ?g/mL medetomidine/3.125 ?g/mL atipamezole (K+M/A). The animals were placed in an anaesthetic water bath, then, the following parameters were registered: time for equilibrium loss and anaesthesia induction, loss of sensitivity to soft and painful stimuli, respiratory rate, recovery time, and activity after recovery. The combined forms of E+L, P+L and K+M were the fastest to induce a surgical anaesthetic stage. Nevertheless, E+L induced respiratory depression, while K+M was shown to have the longer recovery time compared to MS-222, even when atipamezole was added. In conclusion, the P+L combination was shown to provide good anaesthesia with analgesia, without causing a major respiratory depression, providing as well a quick recovery, similar to MS-222.

| S-EPMC5963751 | biostudies-literature

MULTI-STATE OCCUPANCY MODEL ESTIMATES PROBABILITY OF DETECTION OF AN AQUATIC PARASITE USING ENVIRONMENTAL DNA: PSEUDOLOMA NEUROPHILIA IN ZEBRAFISH AQUARIA.

Project description:Detecting the presence of important parasites within a host and its environment is critical to understanding the dynamics that influence a pathogen's ability to persist, while accurate detection is also essential for the implementation of effective control strategies. Pseudoloma neurophilia is the most common pathogen reported in zebrafish (Danio rerio) research facilities. The only assays currently available for P. neurophilia are through lethal sampling, often requiring euthanasia of the entire population for accurate estimates of prevalence in small populations. We present a non-lethal screening method to detect P. neurophilia in tank water based on the detection of environmental DNA (eDNA) from this microsporidium, using a previously developed qPCR assay that was adapted to the digital PCR (dPCR) platform to complement current surveillance protocols. Using the generated dPCR data, a multi-state occupancy model was also implemented to predict the probability of detecting the microsporidium in tank water under different flow regimes and pathogen prevalence. The occupancy model revealed that samples collected in static conditions were more informative than samples collected from flow-through conditions, with a probability of detection at 80% and 47%, respectively. There was also a positive correlation between the frequency of detection in water and prevalence in fish based on qPCR.

| S-EPMC9811945 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data