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Holobiont-holobiont interactions across host-ectoparasite systems.
Štefánia Skičková1, Karolína Svobodová2, Myriam Kratou3
1Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovakia.
Parasites & Vectors
|September 24, 2025
Summary
Holobionts, host-microbe networks, show how microbes transferred between partners influence health and disease. Understanding these interactions can lead to new microbiota-based health solutions.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Ecology
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Holobionts, comprising hosts and their resident microorganisms, offer a framework for studying interdependent life.
- Interactions between host and ectoparasite microbiomes provide insights into ecological balance, disease dynamics, and evolution.
- Microbes exchanged at the host-ectoparasite interface can induce localized effects with systemic consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence of microbiota-to-microbiota interactions in host-ectoparasite systems.
- To explore the mechanisms by which transferred microbes modulate host physiology and immunity.
- To introduce the concept of indirect modulation of holobionts via transferred microbes.
Main Methods:
- Literature synthesis of four model systems: Varroa mite-honeybee, tick-vertebrate, bat fly-bat, and mosquito-vertebrate.
- Analysis of microbial transfer, colonization, replication, and modulation of host physiology and immunity.
- Examination of bidirectional cross-talk and feedback loops between microbiomes.
Main Results:
- Microbes are passively transferred during host contact or feeding, subsequently colonizing and modulating host physiology and immunity.
- Transferred microbes exert lasting effects, surpassing transient biochemical cues.
- Indirect modulation by abiotic or biotic factors acting through transferred microbes highlights the adaptive plasticity of holobiont networks.
Conclusions:
- Bidirectional microbial cross-talk creates feedback loops that define microbial roles (pathogen, symbiont, immunomodulator) and influence virulence.
- These dynamics significantly impact disease transmission, host resistance, and the overall health of both partners.
- Understanding cross-holobiont dynamics is crucial for developing microbiota-based vaccines and microbiome engineering for health applications.
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