Trypanosoma vivax displays a clonal population structure.
Abstract: African animal trypanosomiasis, or Nagana, is a debilitating and economically costly disease with a major impact on animal health in sub-Saharan Africa. Trypanosoma vivax, one of the principal trypanosome species responsible for the disease, infects a wide host range including cattle, goats, horses and donkeys and is transmitted both cyclically by tsetse flies and mechanically by other biting flies, resulting in a distribution covering large swathes of South America and much of sub-Saharan Africa. While there is evidence for mating in some of the related trypanosome species, Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma congolense and Trypanosoma cruzi, very little work has been carried out to examine this question in T. vivax. Understanding whether mating occurs in T. vivax will provide insight into the dynamics of trait inheritance, for example the spread of drug resistance, as well as examining the origins of meiosis in the order Kinetoplastida. With this in mind we have identified orthologues of eight core meiotic genes within the genome, the presence of which imply that the potential for mating exists in this species. In order to address whether mating occurs, we have investigated a sympatric field population of T. vivax collected from livestock in The Gambia, using microsatellite markers developed for this species. Our analysis has identified a clonal population structure showing significant linkage disequilibrium, homozygote deficits and disagreement with Hardy-Weinberg predictions at six microsatellite loci, indicative of a lack of mating in this population of T. vivax.
Publication Date: 2009-06-08 PubMed ID: 19520081DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2009.05.012Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This study shows that Trypanosoma vivax, a parasite causing major animal health issues in sub-Saharan Africa and South America, has a clonal population structure, suggesting that it does not reproduce sexually.
Research on Trypanosoma vivax
- Trypanosoma vivax is one species of trypanosome parasites that causes African animal trypanosomiasis or Nagana, a severely debilitating disease affecting various types of livestock in sub-Saharan Africa and South America.
- T. vivax is spread both cyclical by tsetse flies and mechanically by other biting flies, making the disease widespread in the areas.
- The aim of this research is to examine the mating behaviour of T. vivax, which has been lesser-studied compared to the related species Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma congolense, and Trypanosoma cruzi.
Significance of Understanding Mating in T. vivax
- Knowing whether T. vivax reproduces sexually will provide insights into crucial processes like the spread of drug resistance and location-specific traits among the population.
- It can also help understand the origin of meiosis, a type of cell division involved in sexual reproduction, in the order Kinetoplastida to which these species belong.
Determining the Potential for Mating in T. vivax
- The researchers used the genome of T. vivax to identify orthologues of eight core meiotic genes. The existence of these genes suggests a potential for sexual reproduction in this species.
- Researchers proceeded to analyse a sympatric field population of T. vivax taken from cattle in The Gambia using specific genetic markers (microsatellite markers).
Findings of the Study
- The study found that T. vivax exhibited a clonal population structure. A clonal population is one where all individuals are genetically identical, arising from a single progenitor through asexual reproduction.
- The presence of significant linkage disequilibrium, deficits in homozygosity, and non-compliance with Hardy-Weinberg predictions indicated that there is likely no mating in the T. vivax population studied.
- This suggests that, despite having the necessary genetic elements for sexual reproduction, T. vivax primarily reproduces asexually in its natural environment.
Cite This Article
APA
Duffy CW, Morrison LJ, Black A, Pinchbeck GL, Christley RM, Schoenefeld A, Tait A, Turner CM, MacLeod A.
(2009).
Trypanosoma vivax displays a clonal population structure.
Int J Parasitol, 39(13), 1475-1483.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2009.05.012 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cattle / parasitology
- Copulation
- Equidae / parasitology
- Gambia
- Genotype
- Goats / parasitology
- Horses / parasitology
- Host Specificity
- Humans
- Livestock / parasitology
- Microsatellite Repeats / genetics
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Trypanosoma vivax / genetics
Grant Funding
- 079703 / Wellcome Trust
Citations
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