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Ecological rules governing helminth-microparasite coinfection
1Institute of Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Ashworth Laboratories, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, Scotland. andrea.graham@ed.ac.uk
Summary
Basic ecological rules govern parasite coinfection outcomes. Community ecology principles explain how helminths impact microparasite density by affecting host resources and immune responses like interferon-gamma.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Parasitology
- Immunology
Background:
- Coinfection by multiple parasite species presents complex epidemiological and clinical challenges.
- Existing frameworks lack the ability to explain variations in coinfection outcomes across different host-parasite systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the applicability of community ecology principles to understand and predict the outcomes of parasite coinfection.
- To identify generalizable rules governing host-parasite interactions in coinfection scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of data from 54 laboratory mouse experiments involving various parasite taxa.
- Examination of resource-based (bottom-up) and immune-based (top-down) control mechanisms in coinfected hosts.
Main Results:
- Ecological rules significantly influence coinfection dynamics, affecting microparasite population size.
- Anemia-inducing helminths decreased microparasite density by consuming red blood cells (bottom-up control).
- Helminth-induced suppression of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) correlated with increased microparasite density (impaired top-down control).
Conclusions:
- Community ecology provides a powerful framework for analyzing biomedical data on coinfection.
- Predicting microparasite population growth requires considering both resource competition and immune modulation by coinfecting helminths.
- Interdisciplinary approaches can make coinfection outcomes more predictable.
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