The circulation of Anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotypes is associated with community composition of vertebrate hosts

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-borne pathogen that has been detected in many tick and vertebrate species. It is among the most widespread tick-borne pathogens in animals in Europe. The bacterium can be genetically divided into four ecotypes, which are linked to distinct but overlapping host species. However, knowledge about the transmission dynamics of the enzootic cycles of the different ecotypes is limited. Here, we quantified the link between the ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum, the different life stages of the tick Ixodes ricinus, and vertebrate host groups through a meta-analysis. We extracted data on the mean I. ricinus burden and the A. phagocytophilum infection prevalence in both hosts and feeding I. ricinus from 197 papers on 77 wildlife species. With this information, we modeled the relative importance of different host taxonomic groups for the circulation of the different ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum in a theoretical assemblage of hosts with varying presence of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and densities of small mammals. We showed that the composition of the vertebrate community affects the relative abundance of different ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum in the different life stages of I. ricinus. The presence of red deer is likely to increase the infection prevalence of Ecotype 1 in ticks, while small mammal densities drive the prevalence in ticks of mainly Ecotype 3, and to a lesser extent Ecotype 1. In Europe, vertebrate communities are changing, with an increase in red deer abundance and changes in the population dynamics of small mammals. Our results suggest that these changes could imply an increase in the circulation of A. phagocytophilum and thus an increase in the risk for public and veterinary health

The circulation of Anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotypes is associated with community composition of vertebrate hosts

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-borne pathogen that has been detected in many tick and vertebrate species. It is among the most widespread tick-borne pathogens in animals in Europe. The bacterium can be genetically divided into four ecotypes, which are linked to distinct but overlapping host species. However, knowledge about the transmission dynamics of the enzootic cycles of the different ecotypes is limited. Here, we quantified the link between the ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum, the different life stages of the tick Ixodes ricinus, and vertebrate host groups through a meta-analysis. We extracted data on the mean I. ricinus burden and the A. phagocytophilum infection prevalence in both hosts and feeding I. ricinus from 197 papers on 77 wildlife species. With this information, we modeled the relative importance of different host taxonomic groups for the circulation of the different ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum in a theoretical assemblage of hosts with varying presence of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and densities of small mammals. We showed that the composition of the vertebrate community affects the relative abundance of different ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum in the different life stages of I. ricinus. The presence of red deer is likely to increase the infection prevalence of Ecotype 1 in ticks, while small mammal densities drive the prevalence in ticks of mainly Ecotype 3, and to a lesser extent Ecotype 1. In Europe, vertebrate communities are changing, with an increase in red deer abundance and changes in the population dynamics of small mammals. Our results suggest that these changes could imply an increase in the circulation of A. phagocytophilum and thus an increase in the risk for public and veterinary health

Introduction

In recent years, a considerable amount of effort has been devoted, both in industry and academia, to improving maintenance. Time is a critical factor in maintenance, and efforts are placed to monitor, analyze, and visualize machine or asset data in order to anticipate to any possible failure, prevent damage, and save costs. The MANTIS Book aims to highlight the underpinning fundamentals of Condition-Based Maintenance related conceptual ideas, an overall idea of preventive maintenance, the economic impact and technical solution. The core content of this book describes the outcome of the Cyber-Physical System based Proactive Collaborative Maintenance project, also known as MANTIS, and funded by EU ECSEL Joint Undertaking under Grant Agreement nº 662189. The ambition has been to support the creation of a maintenance-oriented reference architecture that support the maintenance data lifecycle, to enable the use of novel kinds of maintenance strategies for industrial machinery. The key enabler has been the fine blend of collecting data through Cyber-Physical Systems, and the usage of machine learning techniques and advanced visualization for the enhanced monitoring of the machines. Topics discussed include, in the context of maintenance: Cyber-Physical Systems, Communication Middleware, Machine Learning, Advanced Visualization, Business Models, Future Trends. An important focus of the book is the application of the techniques in real world context, and in fact all the work is driven by the pilots, all of them centered on real machines and factories. This book is suitable for industrial and maintenance managers that want to implement a new strategy for maintenance in their companies. It should give readers a basic idea on the first steps to implementing a maintenance-oriented platform or information system.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exogenous Ether Lipids Predominantly Target Mitochondria

Ether lipids are ubiquitous constituents of cellular membranes with no discrete cell biological function assigned yet. Using fluorescent polyene-ether lipids we analyzed their intracellular distribution in living cells by microscopy. Mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum accumulated high amounts of ether-phosphatidylcholine and ether-phosphatidylethanolamine. Both lipids were specifically labeled using the corresponding lyso-ether lipids, which we established as supreme precursors for lipid tagging. Polyfosine, a fluorescent analogue of the anti-neoplastic ether lipid edelfosine, accumulated to mitochondria and induced morphological changes and cellular apoptosis. These data indicate that edelfosine could exert its pro-apoptotic power by targeting and damaging mitochondria and thereby inducing cellular apoptosis. In general, this study implies an important role of mitochondria in ether lipid metabolism and intracellular ether lipid trafficking

Identification of regulatory variants associated with genetic susceptibility to meningococcal disease.

Non-coding genetic variants play an important role in driving susceptibility to complex diseases but their characterization remains challenging. Here, we employed a novel approach to interrogate the genetic risk of such polymorphisms in a more systematic way by targeting specific regulatory regions relevant for the phenotype studied. We applied this method to meningococcal disease susceptibility, using the DNA binding pattern of RELA - a NF-kB subunit, master regulator of the response to infection - under bacterial stimuli in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. We designed a custom panel to cover these RELA binding sites and used it for targeted sequencing in cases and controls. Variant calling and association analysis were performed followed by validation of candidate polymorphisms by genotyping in three independent cohorts. We identified two new polymorphisms, rs4823231 and rs11913168, showing signs of association with meningococcal disease susceptibility. In addition, using our genomic data as well as publicly available resources, we found evidences for these SNPs to have potential regulatory effects on ATXN10 and LIF genes respectively. The variants and related candidate genes are relevant for infectious diseases and may have important contribution for meningococcal disease pathology. Finally, we described a novel genetic association approach that could be applied to other phenotypes

Wild ungulate species differ in their contribution to the transmission of Ixodes ricinus-borne pathogens

Background Several ungulate species are feeding and propagation hosts for the tick Ixodes ricinus as well as hosts to a wide range of zoonotic pathogens. Here, we focus on Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.), two important pathogens for which ungulates are amplifying and dilution hosts, respectively. Ungulate management is one of the main tools to mitigate human health risks associated with these tick-borne pathogens. Across Europe, different species of ungulates are expanding their ranges and increasing in numbers. It is currently unclear if and how the relative contribution to the life-cycle of I. ricinus and the transmission cycles of tick-borne pathogens differ among these species. In this study, we aimed to identify these relative contributions for five European ungulate species. Methods We quantified the tick load and collected ticks and spleen samples from hunted fallow deer (Dama dama, n = 131), moose (Alces alces, n = 15), red deer (Cervus elaphus, n = 61), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, n = 30) and wild boar (Sus scrofa, n = 87) in south-central Sweden. We investigated the presence of tick-borne pathogens in ticks and spleen samples using real-time PCR. We determined if ungulate species differed in tick load (prevalence and intensity) and in infection prevalence in their tissue as well as in the ticks feeding on them. Results Wild boar hosted fewer adult female ticks than any of the deer species, indicating that deer are more important as propagation hosts. Among the deer species, moose had the lowest number of female ticks, while there was no difference among the other deer species. Given the low number of infected nymphs, the relative contribution of all ungulate species to the transmission of B. burgdorferi (s.l.) was low. Fallow deer, red deer and roe deer contributed more to the transmission of A. phagocytophilum than wild boar. Conclusions The ungulate species clearly differed in their role as a propagation host and in the transmission of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum. This study provides crucial information for ungulate management as a tool to mitigate zoonotic disease risk and argues for adapting management approaches to the local ungulate species composition and the pathogen(s) of concern. Graphic abstrac

The circulation of Anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotypes is associated with community composition of vertebrate hosts

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-borne pathogen that has been detected in many tick and vertebrate species. It is among the most widespread tick-borne pathogens in animals in Europe. The bacterium can be genetically divided into four ecotypes, which are linked to distinct but overlapping host species. However, knowledge about the transmission dynamics of the enzootic cycles of the different ecotypes is limited. Here, we quantified the link between the ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum, the different life stages of the tick Ixodes ricinus, and vertebrate host groups through a meta-analysis. We extracted data on the mean I. ricinus burden and the A. phagocytophilum infection prevalence in both hosts and feeding I. ricinus from 197 papers on 77 wildlife species. With this information, we modeled the relative importance of different host taxonomic groups for the circulation of the different ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum in a theoretical assemblage of hosts with varying presence of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and densities of small mammals. We showed that the composition of the vertebrate community affects the relative abundance of different ecotypes of A. phagocytophilum in the different life stages of I. ricinus. The presence of red deer is likely to increase the infection prevalence of Ecotype 1 in ticks, while small mammal densities drive the prevalence in ticks of mainly Ecotype 3, and to a lesser extent Ecotype 1. In Europe, vertebrate communities are changing, with an increase in red deer abundance and changes in the population dynamics of small mammals. Our results suggest that these changes could imply an increase in the circulation of A. phagocytophilum and thus an increase in the risk for public and veterinary health

Exploring the influence of host community composition on the outbreak potential of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.

In large parts of the northern hemisphere, multiple deer species coexist, and management actions can strongly influence wild deer communities. Such changes may also indirectly influence other species in the community, such as small mammals and birds, because deer can have strong effects on their habitats and resources. Deer, small mammals and birds play an important role in the dynamics of tick-borne zoonotic diseases. It is, however, relatively underexplored how the abundance and composition of vertebrate communities may affect the outbreak potential, maintenance and circulation of tick-borne pathogens. In this study we focus on the outbreak potential by exploring how the basic reproduction number R0 for different tick-borne pathogens depends on host community composition. We used published data on co-varying roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and fallow deer (Dama dama) densities following a hunting ban, and different small mammal and bird densities, to investigate how the change in host community influences the R0 of four tick-borne pathogens: one non-zoonotic, namely Anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotype 2, and three zoonotic, namely A. phagocytophilum ecotype 1, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii. We calculated R0 using a next generation matrix approach, and used elasticities to quantify the contributions to R0 of the different groups of host species. The value of R0 for A. phagocytophilum ecotype 1 was higher with high fallow deer density and low roe deer density, while it was the other way round for A. phagocytophilum ecotype 2. For B. afzelii, R0 was mostly related to the density of small mammals and for B. garinii it was mostly determined by bird density. Our results show that the effect of species composition is substantial in the outbreak potential of tick-borne pathogens. This implies that also management actions that change this composition, can (indirectly and unintentionally) affect the outbreak potential of tick-borne diseases

Wild ungulate species differ in their contribution to the transmission of Ixodes ricinus-borne pathogens

Background: Several ungulate species are feeding and propagation hosts for the tick Ixodes ricinus as well as hosts to a wide range of zoonotic pathogens. Here, we focus on Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.), two important pathogens for which ungulates are amplifying and dilution hosts, respectively. Ungulate management is one of the main tools to mitigate human health risks associated with these tick-borne pathogens. Across Europe, different species of ungulates are expanding their ranges and increasing in numbers. It is currently unclear if and how the relative contribution to the life-cycle of I. ricinus and the transmission cycles of tick-borne pathogens differ among these species. In this study, we aimed to identify these relative contributions for five European ungulate species. Methods: We quantified the tick load and collected ticks and spleen samples from hunted fallow deer (Dama dama, n = 131), moose (Alces alces, n = 15), red deer (Cervus elaphus, n = 61), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, n = 30) and wild boar (Sus scrofa, n = 87) in south-central Sweden. We investigated the presence of tick-borne pathogens in ticks and spleen samples using real-time PCR. We determined if ungulate species differed in tick load (prevalence and intensity) and in infection prevalence in their tissue as well as in the ticks feeding on them. Results: Wild boar hosted fewer adult female ticks than any of the deer species, indicating that deer are more important as propagation hosts. Among the deer species, moose had the lowest number of female ticks, while there was no difference among the other deer species. Given the low number of infected nymphs, the relative contribution of all ungulate species to the transmission of B. burgdorferi (s.l.) was low. Fallow deer, red deer and roe deer contributed more to the transmission of A. phagocytophilum than wild boar. Conclusions: The ungulate species clearly differed in their role as a propagation host and in the transmission of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum. This study provides crucial information for ungulate management as a tool to mitigate zoonotic disease risk and argues for adapting management approaches to the local ungulate species composition and the pathogen(s) of concern. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]