Evolution of parasite virulence when host responses cause disease

The trade-off hypothesis of virulence evolution rests on the assumption that infection-induced mortality is a consequence of host exploitation by parasites. This hypothesis lies at the heart of many empirical and theoretical studies of virulence evolution, despite growing evidence that infection-induced mortality is very often a by-product of host immune responses. We extend the theoretical framework of the trade-off hypothesis to incorporate such immunopathology and explore how this detrimental aspect of host defence mechanisms affects the evolution of pathogen exploitation and hence infection-induced mortality. We argue that there are qualitatively different ways in which immunopathology can arise and suggest ways in which empirical studies can tease apart these effects. We show that immunopathology can cause infection-induced mortality to increase or decrease as a result of pathogen evolution, depending on how it covaries with pathogen exploitation strategies and with parasite killing by hosts. Immunopathology is thus an important determinant of whether public and animal health programmes will drive evolution in a clinically beneficial or detrimental direction. Immunopathology complicates our understanding of disease evolution, but can nevertheless be readily accounted for within the framework of the trade-off hypothesis.     

A Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 mutant lacking the type III effector HopQ1-1 is able to cause disease in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana

The model pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 causes bacterial speck in tomato and Arabidopsis, but Nicotiana benthamiana, an important model plant, is considered to be a non-host. Strain DC3000 injects approximately 28 effector proteins into plant cells via the type III secretion system (T3SS). These proteins were individually delivered into N. benthamiana leaf cells via T3SS-proficient Pseudomonas fluorescens, and eight, including HopQ1-1, showed some capacity to cause cell death in this test. Four gene clusters encoding 13 effectors were deleted from DC3000: cluster II (hopH1, hopC1), IV (hopD1, hopQ1-1, hopR1), IX (hopAA1-2, hopV1, hopAO1, hopG1), and native plasmid pDC3000A (hopAM1-2, hopX1, hopO1-1, hopT1-1). DC3000 mutants deleted for cluster IV or just hopQ1-1 acquired the ability to grow to high levels and produce bacterial speck lesions in N. benthamiana. HopQ1-1 showed other hallmarks of an avirulence determinant in N. benthamiana: expression in the tobacco wildfire pathogen P. syringae pv. tabaci 11528 rendered this strain avirulent in N. benthamiana, and elicitation of the hypersensitive response in N. benthamiana by HopQ1-1 was dependent on SGT1. DC3000 polymutants involving other effector gene clusters in a hopQ1-1-deficient background revealed that clusters II and IX contributed to the severity of lesion symptoms in N. benthamiana, as well as in Arabidopsis and tomato. The results support the hypothesis that the host ranges of P. syringae pathovars are limited by the complex interactions of effector repertoires with plant anti-effector surveillance systems, and they demonstrate that N. benthamiana can be a useful model host for DC3000.     

柔嫩艾美耳球虫(Eimeria tenella)早熟株与亲本株致病性和繁殖力的研究

通过对经15代选育的柔嫩艾美耳球虫(E. tenella)山西株的早熟株与其亲本株的繁殖力和致病性进行比较研究,证实早熟株的潜隐期比亲本株缩短21 h,繁殖力下降40%左右;对致病性的研究显示,早熟株感染后对鸡只增重、AC I的影响较小,对11日龄雏鸡的半数感染量和半数致死量较亲本株增大,肠道病变记分较亲本株下降。由此认为,该早熟株符合球虫早熟株的特性,可用于鸡球虫病早熟苗的制作。     

蝉拟青霉孢子粉对小菜蛾的致病性试验

试验采用蝉拟青霉(Paecilomyces cicadae)孢子粉处理小菜蛾Plutella xylostella L.幼虫,结果表明,蝉拟青霉可以在小菜蛾幼虫和蛹上寄生,并导致小菜蛾死亡。室内试验,蝉拟青霉对小菜蛾的致死率高达96.55%;田间试验,1.6×107个/mL浓度的022017#蝉拟青霉防治小菜蛾的校正死亡率可达75.86%。该结果可用于蝉拟青霉新型真菌杀虫剂的研制。     

肽酶PepT参与副溶血弧菌的浮游运动和生物被膜形成

pepT基因编码一种金属依赖性肽酶T (peptidase T,PepT),能特异性催化三肽N端氨基酸,因此也称为氨肽酶T。研究发现大多数氨肽酶参与细菌蛋白质新陈代谢和调节三肽活性,但关于PepT在细菌毒力及致病性方面的报道较少。[目的]本文选取PepT为研究对象,研究其对副溶血弧菌生物学特性及致病性的影响。[方法]通过构建缺失株ΔpepT和回补株CΔpepT,比较菌株在运动性、生物被膜、环境耐受、细胞毒性等方面的差异。[结果]与野生株相比,ΔpepT缺失株的极性鞭毛转录水平极显著下降,浮游运动能力降低;同时生物被膜形成能力减弱,而细菌群集运动及环境耐受能力无显著差异。此外,缺失pepT基因会导致副溶血弧菌的细胞毒性和小鼠毒力作用显著下降。[结论]pepT基因与副溶血弧菌浮游运动和生物被膜形成能力相关,并且影响其致病性。     

一株鳢源鰤诺卡氏菌致病性与全基因组分析

【背景】鰤诺卡氏菌是一种典型的条件致病菌,感染鳢、鲈等多种名优鱼类,易造成存在机体损伤或免疫机能下降的鱼持续性感染,给水产养殖业造成了巨大损失。【目的】了解临床分离鳢源鰤诺卡氏菌对乌斑杂交鳢（斑鳢♀×乌鳢♂）的致病性,并从全基因组层面了解该病原菌的基因组和致病因子信息,为鰤诺卡氏菌后续病原学及鰤诺卡氏菌病防治技术和疫苗的开发研究提供有利的数据支撑。【方法】鰤诺卡氏菌NK201610020通过回归感染试验和发病鱼靶器官组织病理分析,了解鰤诺卡氏菌的毒力和病理特征。通过对试验菌进行全基因组测序和比较基因组学分析,挖掘该菌的基因组与毒力特征。【结果】回归感染试验结果显示,除1.5×10³组外,其余5个感染组致死率高达90%,LD₅₀为1.079×10³ CFU/mL,说明试验菌毒力较强。组织病理学观察到肝、脾、肾呈现严重的病理损伤,而且有肉芽肿结构形成。试验菌全基因组测序发现,全基因组大小为8294329bp,GC含量为68.10%,共预测到编码基因7812个。比较基因组学分析发现,不同地区不同宿主来源鰤诺卡氏菌在基因组基础特...     

First Report of Greeneria uvicola Causing Bitter Rot of Grape in China

In 2013, bitter rot of grape was observed in Changbei Vineyard located in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, China. Greeneria species was consistently isolated from the diseased grape berries (Vitis labruscana cv. Kyoho) at approximately 91% of isolation rate in three independent experiments. The species was identified as Greeneria uvicola based on the morphological characteristics, cultural appearance and sequence analysis. Koch's postulates were fulfilled through pathogenicity tests on detached healthy Kyoho grape berries. To our knowledge, this is the first report of G. uvicola causing bitter rot of grape in China.     

A pathogenicity determinant maps to the N‐terminal coat protein region of the Pepino mosaic virus genome

Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) poses a worldwide threat to the tomato industry. Considerable differences at the genetic level allow for the distinction of four main genotypic clusters; however, the basis of the phenotypic outcome is difficult to elucidate. This work reports the generation of wild‐type PepMV infectious clones of both EU (mild) and CH2 (aggressive) genotypes, from which chimeric infectious clones were created. Phenotypic analysis in three solanaceous hosts, Nicotiana benthamiana, Datura stramonium and Solanum lycopersicum, indicated that a PepMV pathogenicity determinant mapped to the 3′‐terminal region of the genome. Increased aggression was only observed in N. benthamiana, showing that this factor is host specific. The determinant was localized to amino acids 11–26 of the N‐terminal coat protein (CP) region; this is the first report of this region functioning as a virulence factor in PepMV.