Idiosyncratic effects of coinfection on the association between systemic pathogens and the gut microbiota of a wild rodent, the bank vole Myodes glareolus
Year of publication
2023
Authors
Brila, Ilze; Lavrinienko, Anton; Tukalenko, Eugene; Kallio, Eva R.; Mappes, Tapio; Watts, Phillip C.
Abstract
The effects of systemic pathogens on gut microbiota of wild animals are poorly understood. Furthermore, coinfections are the norm in nature, yet most studies of pathogen–microbiota interactions focus on effects of single pathogen infections on gut microbiota. We examined the effects of four systemic pathogens (bacteria Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, apicomplexan protozoa Babesia microti and Puumala orthohantavirus) and coinfections among them on the (bacterial) gut microbiota of wild bank voles Myodes glareolus. We hypothesized that: (1) the effects of coinfection on gut microbiota generally differ from those of a single pathogen infection, (2) systemic pathogens have individual (i.e. distinct) associations with gut microbiota, which are modified by coinfection and (3) the effects of coinfection (compared with those of single infection) are idiosyncratic (i.e. pathogen-specific). The gut microbiota of coinfected bank voles differed from that of single pathogen infected individuals, although, as predicted, the effects of coinfections were unique for each pathogen. After accounting for coinfections, only Puumala orthohantavirus was associated with higher α-diversity; however, all pathogens affected gut microbiota ß-diversity in a pathogen-specific way, affecting both rare and abundant gut bacteria. Our results showed that the effects of systemic pathogens on host's gut microbiota vary depending on the pathogen species, resulting in idiosyncratic signatures of coinfection. Furthermore, our results emphasize that neglecting the impact of coinfections can mask patterns of pathogen–microbiota associations.
Show moreOrganizations and authors
University of Oulu
Brila Ilze
Publication type
Publication format
Article
Parent publication type
Journal
Article type
Original article
Audience
ScientificPeer-reviewed
Peer-ReviewedMINEDU's publication type classification code
A1 Journal article (refereed), original researchPublication channel information
Journal
Publisher
Volume
92
Issue
4
Pages
826-837
ISSN
Publication forum
Publication forum level
3
Open access
Open access in the publisher’s service
No
Self-archived
Yes
Other information
Fields of science
Ecology, evolutionary biology; Plant biology, microbiology, virology
Keywords
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Publication country
United Kingdom
Internationality of the publisher
International
Language
English
International co-publication
Yes
Co-publication with a company
No
DOI
10.1111/1365-2656.13869
The publication is included in the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Publication data collection
Yes