Out of the 'host' box: extreme off-host conditions alter the infectivity and virulence of a parasitic bacterium.

ABSTRACT: Disease agents play an important role in the ecology and life history of wild and cultivated populations and communities. While most studies focus on the adaptation of parasites to their hosts, the adaptation of free-living parasite stages to their external (off-host) environment may tell us a lot about the factors that shape the distribution of parasites. Pasteuria ramosa is an endoparasitic bacterium of the water flea Daphnia with a wide geographical distribution. Its transmission stages rest outside of the host and thus experience varying environmental regimes. We examined the life history of P. ramosa populations from four environmental conditions (i.e. groups of habitats): the factorial combinations of summer-dry water bodies or not, and winter-freeze water bodies

SUBMITTER: Marcus E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9900709 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature