TY - JOUR
T1 - Haemoplasmas in wild rodents
T2 - Routes of transmission and infection dynamics
AU - Cohen, Carmit
AU - Shemesh, Merav
AU - Garrido, Mario
AU - Messika, Irit
AU - Einav, Monica
AU - Khokhlova, Irina
AU - Tasker, Séverine
AU - Hawlena, Hadas
PY - 2018/9/1
Y1 - 2018/9/1
N2 - The way that some parasites and pathogens persist in the hostile environment of their host for long periods remains to be resolved. Here, longitudinal field surveys were combined with laboratory experiments to investigate the routes of transmission and infection dynamics of such a pathogen—a wild rodent haemotropic bacterium, specifically a Mycoplasma haemomuris-like bacterium. Fleaborne transmission, direct rodent-to-rodent transmission and vertical transmission from fleas or rodents to their offspring were experimentally quantified, and indications were found that the main route of bacterial transmission is direct, although its rate of successful transmission is low (~20%). The bacterium's temporal dynamics was then compared in the field to that observed under a controlled infection experiment in field-infected and laboratory-infected rodents, and indications were found, under all conditions, that the bacterium reached its peak infection level after 25–45 days and then decreased to low bacterial loads, which persist for the rodent's lifetime. These findings suggest that the bacterium relies on persistency with low bacterial loads for long-term coexistence with its rodent host, having both conceptual and applied implications.
AB - The way that some parasites and pathogens persist in the hostile environment of their host for long periods remains to be resolved. Here, longitudinal field surveys were combined with laboratory experiments to investigate the routes of transmission and infection dynamics of such a pathogen—a wild rodent haemotropic bacterium, specifically a Mycoplasma haemomuris-like bacterium. Fleaborne transmission, direct rodent-to-rodent transmission and vertical transmission from fleas or rodents to their offspring were experimentally quantified, and indications were found that the main route of bacterial transmission is direct, although its rate of successful transmission is low (~20%). The bacterium's temporal dynamics was then compared in the field to that observed under a controlled infection experiment in field-infected and laboratory-infected rodents, and indications were found, under all conditions, that the bacterium reached its peak infection level after 25–45 days and then decreased to low bacterial loads, which persist for the rodent's lifetime. These findings suggest that the bacterium relies on persistency with low bacterial loads for long-term coexistence with its rodent host, having both conceptual and applied implications.
KW - haemoplasmas
KW - haemotropic mycoplasmas
KW - host–parasite interactions
KW - infection dynamics
KW - persistent infection
KW - transmission mechanisms
KW - wild rodent
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85052792772&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/mec.14826
DO - 10.1111/mec.14826
M3 - Article (Academic Journal)
C2 - 30074652
AN - SCOPUS:85052792772
VL - 27
SP - 3714
EP - 3726
JO - Molecular Ecology
JF - Molecular Ecology
SN - 0962-1083
IS - 18
ER -