| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Jimenez-Gomez, Irina
[1, 2]
;
Barcoto, Mariana O.
[1]
;
Montoya, Quimi V.
[1]
;
Goes, Aryel C.
[1]
;
Monteiro, Lana S. V. E.
[1]
;
Bueno, Odair C.
[1]
;
Rodrigues, Andre
[1]
Total Authors: 7
|
| Affiliation: | [1] Sao Paulo State Univ, Dept Gen & Appl Biol, Rio Claro - Brazil
[2] Univ Autonoma Estado Morelos, Ctr Invest Dinam Celular, Cuernavaca, Morelos - Mexico
Total Affiliations: 2
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY; v. 12, JUN 14 2021. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 0 |
| Abstract | |
Health and disease emerge from intricate interactions between genotypes, phenotypes, and environmental features. The outcomes of such interactions are context-dependent, existing as a dynamic continuum ranging from benefits to damage. In host-microbial interactions, both the host and environmental conditions modulate the pathogenic potential of a microorganism. Microbial interactions are the core of the agricultural systems of ants in the subtribe Attina, which cultivate basidiomycete fungi for food. The fungiculture environment harbors a diverse microbial community, including fungi in the genus Escovopsis that has been studied as damage-causing agent. Here, we consider the ant colony as a host and investigate to what extent its health impacts the dynamics and outcomes of host-Escovopsis interactions. We found that different ant fungal cultivars vary in susceptibility to the same Escovopsis strains in plate-assays interactions. In subcolony-Escovopsis interactions, while healthy subcolonies gradually recover from infection with different concentrations of Escovopsis conidia, insecticide-treated subcolonies evidenced traits of infection and died within 7 days. The opportunistic nature of Escovopsis infections indicates that diseases in attine fungiculture are a consequence of host susceptibility, rather than the effect of a single microbial agent. By addressing the host susceptibility as a major modulator of Escovopsis pathogenesis, our findings expand the understanding of disease dynamics within attine colonies. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 17/12689-4 - Host-specificity and mechanisms of action of Escovopsis parasites found in the gardens of attine ants |
| Grantee: | André Rodrigues |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |
| FAPESP's process: | 19/03746-0 - Collaborative research: Dimensions US-São Paulo: integrating phylogeny, genetics, and chemical ecology to unravel the tangled bank of the multipartite fungus-farming ant symbiosis |
| Grantee: | André Rodrigues |
| Support Opportunities: | BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants |