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Selective pressures during chronic infection drive microbial competition and cooperation.

ABSTRACT: Chronic infections often contain complex mixtures of pathogenic and commensal microorganisms ranging from aerobic and anaerobic bacteria to fungi and viruses. The microbial communities present in infected tissues are not passively co-existing but rather actively interacting with each other via a spectrum of competitive and/or cooperative mechanisms. Competition versus cooperation in these microbial interactions can be driven by both the composition of the microbial community as well as the presence of host defense strategies. These interactions are typically mediated via the production of secreted molecules. In this review, we will explore the possibility that microorganisms competing for nutrients at the host-pathogen interface can evolve seemingly cooperative mechanisms by controlling the production of subsets of secreted virulence factors. We will also address interspecies versus intraspecies utilization of community resources and discuss the impact that this phenomenon might have on co-evolution at the host-pathogen interface.

SUBMITTER: Baishya J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6555799 | biostudies-other | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Selective pressures during chronic infection drive microbial competition and cooperation.

Baishya Jiwasmika J Wakeman Catherine A CA

NPJ biofilms and microbiomes 20190607 1

Chronic infections often contain complex mixtures of pathogenic and commensal microorganisms ranging from aerobic and anaerobic bacteria to fungi and viruses. The microbial communities present in infected tissues are not passively co-existing but rather actively interacting with each other via a spectrum of competitive and/or cooperative mechanisms. Competition versus cooperation in these microbial interactions can be driven by both the composition of the microbial community as well as the prese ...[more]

PMID: 31263568

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Project description:Co-infections by multiple parasites are common in natural populations. Some of these are likely to be the result of sequential rather than simultaneous infections. The timing of the co-infections may affect their competitive interactions, thereby influencing the success of the parasites and their impact on the host. This may have important consequence for epidemiological and eco-evolutionary dynamics. We examined in two ecological conditions the effect of sequential co-infection on the outcome of infection by two microsporidians, Vavraia culicis and Edhazardia aedis, that infect the mosquito Aedes aegypti. The two parasites have different transmission strategies: V. culicis is transmitted horizontally either among larvae or from adults to larvae, while E. aedis can be transmitted horizontally among larvae or vertically from females to their eggs. We investigated how the timing and order of the co-infection and how the host's food availability affected the parasite's transmission potential (the percentage of individuals that harboured transmissible spores) and the host's juvenile survival, its age at emergence and its longevity. The outcome of co-infection was strongly affected by the order at which the parasites arrived. In co-infections, V. culicis had greater horizontal transmission if it arrived early, whereas the transmission potential of E. aedis, either vertical or horizontal, was not affected by the competitor V. culicis. The availability of food determined the duration of infection leading to variation in mortality and in the transmission potential. For both parasites low food decreased juvenile survival, delayed emergence to adulthood and increased horizontal transmission potential. High food increased juvenile survival and the probability of emergence with higher vertical transmission for E. aedis. Overall, our results suggest that early infection favours transmission and that (a) V. culicis plastically responded to co-infection, (b) E. aedis was not affected by co-infection but it was more susceptible to factors extending or decreasing the time it spent in the host (time of infection and food). Our results emphasize the complexity of the impact of co-infection on host-parasite interactions. In particular, the timing and order of sequential co-infections can result in different within-host dynamics and modify infection outcomes.

Project description:The steroid hormone testosterone is widely associated with negative behavioral effects, such as aggression or dominance. However, recent studies applying economic exchange tasks revealed conflicting results. While some point to a prosocial effect of testosterone by increasing altruistic behavior, others report that testosterone promotes antisocial tendencies. Taking into account additional factors such as parochial altruism (i.e., ingroup favoritism and outgroup hostility) might help to explain this contradiction. First evidence for a link between testosterone and parochial altruism comes from recently reported data of male soccer fans playing the ultimatum game. In this study high levels of endogenous testosterone predicted increased altruistic punishment during outgroup interactions and at the same time heightened ingroup generosity. Here, we report findings of another experimental task, the prisoner's dilemma, applied in the same context to examine the role of testosterone on parochial tendencies in terms of cooperation. In this task, 50 male soccer fans were asked to decide whether or not they wanted to cooperate with partners marked as either fans of the subject's own favorite team (ingroup) or fans of other teams (outgroups). Our results show that high testosterone levels were associated with increased ingroup cooperation during intergroup competition. In addition, subjects displaying a high degree of parochialism during intergroup competition had significantly higher levels of testosterone than subjects who did not differentiate much between the different groups. In sum, the present data demonstrate that the behavioral effects of testosterone are not limited to aggressive and selfish tendencies but may imply prosocial aspects depending on the context. By this means, our results support the previously reported findings on testosterone-dependent intergroup bias and indicate that this social hormone might be an important factor driving parochial altruism.

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Selective pressures during chronic infection drive microbial competition and cooperation.

Publications

Selective pressures during chronic infection drive microbial competition and cooperation.

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