Molecular detection of Wolbachia endosymbiont in reptiles and their ectoparasites

Ranju Ravindran Santhakumari Manoj,Domenico Otranto,Jairo Alfonso Mendoza-Roldan,Maria Stefania Latrofa

doi:10.1007/s00436-021-07237-1

Ranju Ravindran Santhakumari Manoj, Domenico Otranto + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-021-07237-1

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Abstract

Wolbachia, a maternally transmitted Gram-negative endosymbiont of onchocercid nematodes and arthropods, has a role in the biology of their host; thus it has been exploited for the filariasis treatment in humans. To assess the presence and prevalence of this endosymbiont in reptiles and their ectoparasites, blood and tail tissue as well as ticks and mites collected from them were molecularly screened for Wolbachia DNA using two sets of primers targeting partial 16S rRNA and Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) genes. Positive samples were screened for the partial 12S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) genes for filarioids. Of the different species of lizards (Podarcis siculus, Podarcis muralis and Lacerta bilineata) and snakes (Elaphe quatuorlineata and Boa constrictor constrictor) screened from three collection sites, only P. siculus scored positive for Wolbachia 16S rRNA. Among ectoparasites collected from reptiles (Ixodes ricinus ticks and Neotrombicula autumnalis, Ophionyssus sauracum and Ophionyssus natricis mites), I. ricinus (n = 4; 2.8%; 95% CI, 0.9–7) from P. siculus, N. autumnalis (n = 2 each; 2.8%; 95% CI, 0.9–6.5) from P. siculus and P. muralis and O. natricis (n = 1; 14.3%; 95% CI, 0.7–55.4) from Boa constrictor constrictor scored positive for Wolbachia DNA. None of the positive Wolbachia samples scored positive for filarioids. This represents the first report of Wolbachia in reptilian hosts and their ectoparasites, which follows a single identification in the intestinal cells of a filarioid associated with a gecko. This data could contribute to better understand the reptile filarioid-Wolbachia association and to unveil the evolutionary pattern of Wolbachia in its filarial host.

Highlights

Wolbachia, an obligate intracellular endosymbiont of arthropods and filarioids, has gained more attention in the scientific community due to its role in the biology of filarioids and their vectors and its contribution in the development of immunopathology of filariasis (Bandi et al 1998; Taylor, 2003)
Arthropod-Wolbachia association could be considered more parasitic, since the bacteria gain fitness advantage by reproductive manipulations of the host, modifying the iron homeostasis and reducing the vector capacity of their hosts (Bandi et al 2001; Kremer et al 2009; Martinez et al 2017). Based on their genetic evolution, Wolbachia have been classified as 17 supergroups, from A to S (Fenn et al 2006; Lefoulon et al 2020a, b), in which Wolbachia of arthropods were included in supergroups A, B, E, H, I, K, that of nematodes in C, D, J
Of the different species of lizards (Podarcis siculus, Podarcis muralis and Lacerta bilineata) and snakes (Elaphe quatuorlineata and Boa constrictor constrictor), only the blood (n = 5, 3.4%; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.37–7.8) and tissue samples (n = 3, 2.1%; 95% CI, 0.6–6.1) of P. siculus scored positive for PCR products of wsp gene had non-specific amplifications, whereas none of 16S rRNA positive Wolbachia samples scored positive for filarioids

Summary

Introduction

An obligate intracellular endosymbiont of arthropods and filarioids, has gained more attention in the scientific community due to its role in the biology of filarioids and their vectors and its contribution in the development of immunopathology of filariasis (Bandi et al 1998; Taylor, 2003). Arthropod-Wolbachia association could be considered more parasitic, since the bacteria gain fitness advantage by reproductive manipulations of the host, modifying the iron homeostasis and reducing the vector capacity of their hosts (Bandi et al 2001; Kremer et al 2009; Martinez et al 2017) Based on their genetic evolution, Wolbachia have been classified as 17 supergroups, from A to S (Fenn et al 2006; Lefoulon et al 2020a, b), in which Wolbachia of arthropods were included in supergroups A, B, E, H, I, K, that of nematodes in C, D, J Based on their genetic evolution, Wolbachia have been classified as 17 supergroups, from A to S (Fenn et al 2006; Lefoulon et al 2020a, b), in which Wolbachia of arthropods were included in supergroups A, B, E, H, I, K, that of nematodes in C, D, J (Glowska et al. Vol.:(0123456789)

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