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Persistence, impacts and environmental drivers of covert infections in invertebrate hosts

Overview of attention for article published in Parasites & Vectors, November 2017
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Title
Persistence, impacts and environmental drivers of covert infections in invertebrate hosts
Published in
Parasites & Vectors, November 2017
DOI 10.1186/s13071-017-2495-8
Pubmed ID
Authors

Inês Fontes, Hanna Hartikainen, Chris Williams, Beth Okamura

Abstract

Persistent covert infections of the myxozoan, Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, in primary invertebrate hosts (the freshwater bryozoan, Fredericella sultana) have been proposed to represent a reservoir for proliferative kidney disease in secondary fish hosts. However, we have limited understanding of how covert infections persist and vary in bryozoan populations over time and space and how they may impact these populations. In addition, previous studies have likely underestimated covert infection prevalence. To improve our understanding of the dynamics, impacts and implications of covert infections we employed a highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and undertook the first investigation of covert infections in the field over an annual period by sampling bryozoans every 45 days from three populations within each of three rivers. Covert infections persisted throughout the year and prevalence varied within and between rivers, but were often > 50%. Variation in temperature and water chemistry were linked with changes in prevalence in a manner consistent with the maintenance of covert infections during periods of low productivity and thus poor growth conditions for both bryozoans and T. bryosalmonae. The presence and increased severity of covert infections reduced host growth but only when bryozoans were also investing in the production of overwintering propagules (statoblasts). However, because statoblast production is transitory, this effect is unlikely to greatly impact the capacity of bryozoan populations to act as persistent sources of infections and hence potential disease outbreaks in farmed and wild fish populations. We demonstrate that covert infections are widespread and persist over space and time in bryozoan populations. To our knowledge, this is the first long-term study of covert infections in a field setting. Review of the results of this and previous studies enables us to identify key questions related to the ecology and evolution of covert infection strategies and associated host-parasite interactions.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 42 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 42 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Researcher 10 24%
Student > Master 5 12%
Student > Bachelor 3 7%
Other 2 5%
Student > Ph. D. Student 2 5%
Other 7 17%
Unknown 13 31%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 7 17%
Environmental Science 6 14%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 5 12%
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine 2 5%
Social Sciences 2 5%
Other 5 12%
Unknown 15 36%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 09 June 2018.
All research outputs
#15,482,347
of 23,007,053 outputs
Outputs from Parasites & Vectors
#3,412
of 5,502 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#206,116
of 329,244 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Parasites & Vectors
#99
of 166 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,007,053 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 22nd percentile – i.e., 22% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 5,502 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.7. This one is in the 30th percentile – i.e., 30% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 329,244 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 28th percentile – i.e., 28% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 166 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 37th percentile – i.e., 37% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.