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Mixed infections alter transmission potential in a fungal plant pathogen

Luke G Barrett1, Marcello Zala2, Alexey Mikaberidze2

  • 1CSIRO Agriculture and Food, GPO BOX 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.

Environmental Microbiology
|February 4, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Mixed fungal infections in wheat, caused by multiple Zymoseptoria tritici strains, impact disease severity and pathogen evolution. Competition between strains within the host influences infection dynamics and virulence.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Pathology
  • Microbial Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Mixed-strain pathogen infections are common in nature but their effects on plant disease are poorly understood.
  • Understanding the factors determining mixed infection outcomes is crucial for predicting disease epidemics and pathogen evolution.
  • Zymoseptoria tritici, a fungus causing septoria tritici blotch in wheat, frequently establishes genetically diverse, mixed infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate the mechanistic basis of mixed infection outcomes in Zymoseptoria tritici.
  • To determine how pathogen traits influence competition and disease development during mixed infections in wheat.
  • To elucidate the role of within-host competition in shaping pathogen population structure and evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental decomposition of the infection process for Zymoseptoria tritici strains.
  • Inoculation of wheat with defined mixtures of Zymoseptoria tritici strains with varying traits.
  • Assessment of strain competition, growth, reproduction, and disease development at different infection stages.

Main Results:

  • Zymoseptoria tritici strains compete in the wheat apoplast, reducing individual strain growth and overall pathogen reproduction.
  • Competition outcomes varied across different infection stages.
  • More virulent strains exhibited higher competitive ability during host colonization, while less virulent strains showed greater transmission potential.
  • Within-host competition significantly affected infection dynamics and pathogen population structure in a host and pathogen genotype-specific manner.

Conclusions:

  • Within-host competition is a major driver of mixed infection dynamics and outcomes in Zymoseptoria tritici.
  • Mixed infections significantly influence septoria tritici blotch epidemic development and the evolution of pathogen virulence.
  • Understanding strain interactions is key to managing plant diseases and their evolutionary trajectories.

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