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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Host Susceptibility Modulates Escovopsis Pathogenic Potential in the Fungiculture of Higher Attine Ants

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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