Impact of host stress on the replication rate of Plasmodium: take it easy to avoid malaria recurrences

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Ecology and Evolution

Angela Ruiz De Paz¹  Philippe Christe¹  Molly Baur¹  Julie Isaïa¹  Romain Pigeault²  Olivier Glaizot³ 

[1] Department of Ecology and Evolution, Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland;Department of Ecology and Evolution, Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland;Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions (EBI), UMR CNRS 7267, Poitiers, France;Department of Ecology and Evolution, Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland;Musée Cantonal de Zoologie, Lausanne, Switzerland;

关键词: avian malaria;    corticosterone;    oocyst burden;    Plasmodium;    recrudescence;    relapses;    within-host infection dynamic;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fevo.2023.1191664

 received in 2023-03-22, accepted in 2023-06-13,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Malaria is widespread throughout the world and affects many animal species. Although the origin of this vector-borne disease was discovered more than a century ago, several aspects of the within-host infection dynamic are still poorly understood. Among them, the factors triggering parasite recurrences – episodes of brief increase in parasite number following a period when the parasite was either absent or present at very low levels in the blood – have still not been clearly identified. Yet, recurrences may contribute significantly to overall infection prevalence in vertebrate host populations. Here, we investigated whether artificial or natural increases in stress hormone levels in chronically infected birds influence the replication rate of Plasmodium relictum and transmission to its natural vector, the mosquito Culex pipiens. Our results provide evidence that increased levels of corticosterone, either induced by oral ingestion or caused by handling stress, can trigger malaria recurrences. However, we did not observe any effect on the transmission rate of the parasite to the mosquito vector. Our study is a first fundamental step in understanding the mechanisms underlying malaria recurrences. It remains to be ascertained whether this feature extends to other malaria system and in particular to human malaria.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Pigeault, Ruiz De Paz, Baur, Isaïa, Glaizot and Christe