Coinfection patterns of two marine apicomplexans are not associated with genetic diversity of their polychaete host
Year of publication
2023
Authors
Hiillos, Anna‐Lotta; Rony, Irin; Rueckert, Sonja; Knott, K. Emily
Abstract
Coinfections of two or more parasites within one host are more of a rule than an exception in nature. Interactions between coinfecting parasites can greatly affect their abundance and prevalence. Characteristics of the host, such as genetic diversity, can also affect the infection dynamics of coinfecting parasites. Here we investigate for the first time the association of coinfection patterns of two marine apicomplexans, Rhytidocystis sp. and Selenidium pygospionis, with the genetic diversity of their host, the polychaete Pygospio elegans, from natural populations. Host genetic diversity was determined with seven microsatellite loci and summarized as allelic richness, inbreeding coefficient, and individual heterozygosity. We detected nonsignificant correlations between infection loads and both individual host heterozygosity and population genetic diversity. Prevalence and infection load of Rhytidocystis sp. were higher than that of S. pygospionis and both varied spatially. Coinfections were common and almost all hosts infected by S. pygospionis were also infected by Rhytidocystis sp.. Rhytidocystis sp. infection load was significantly higher in dual infections. Our results suggest that factors other than host genetic diversity might be more important in marine apicomplexan infection patterns and experimental approaches would be needed to further determine how interactions between the apicomplexans and their host influence infection.
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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
Publisher
Volume
70
Issue
1
Article number
e12932
ISSN
Publication forum
Publication forum level
1
Open access
Open access in the publisher’s service
Yes
Open access of publication channel
Partially open publication channel
Self-archived
Yes
Other information
Fields of science
Ecology, evolutionary biology
Keywords
[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Publication country
United States
Internationality of the publisher
International
Language
English
International co-publication
Yes
Co-publication with a company
No
DOI
10.1111/jeu.12932
The publication is included in the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Publication data collection
Yes