Research paperEvaluation of molecular methods for the field study of the natural history of Dicrocoelium dendriticum
Introduction
Adult digenean trematodes of the dicrocoeliid family residing in the bile ducts of their definitive hosts have been reported as a cause of production-limiting disease in a wide range of herbivorous livestock, albeit quantification of production loss is often confounded by co-infections with fasciolid liver flukes (Otranto and Traversa, 2002). Dicrocoeliosis has been reported in sheep (González Lanza and Manga-González, 2005, Senlik et al., 2008, Sargison et al., 2012, Bosco et al., 2015), goats (Jithendran and Bhat, 1996, Khanjari et al., 2014), cattle (Colwell and Goater, 2010), buffalo (Rinaldi et al., 2009), deer (Otranto et al., 2007), camels (Wahba et al., 1997), pigs (Capucchio et al., 2009) and llamas (Dadak et al., 2013) in specific ecological niches around the world. This generalist definitive host strategy extends to sympatric rodent (Berry and Tricker, 1969), lagomorph (Sargison et al., 2012) and ungulate (Goater and Colwell, 2007, Beck et al., 2014) wildlife. Dicrocoelium dendriticum has been reported in dogs and cats (Nesvadba, 2006), horses (Umur and Açici, 2009) and humans (Cengiz et al., 2010, Gualdieri et al., 2011, Jeandron et al., 2011).
In common with many other parasitic trematodes the life-cycle of D. dendriticum is complex. It involves ‘r’ reproductive strategies (large numbers of offspring able to take advantage of favourable environmental conditions) in hermaphroditic and monoecious sexually reproducing adults, asexual reproduction and significant population expansion through two sporocyst generations within a land snail first intermediate host (Manga-González et al., 2001, Otranto and Traversa, 2002), and alteration of the behaviour of a second ant intermediate host (Tarry, 1969, Manga-González et al., 2001). The complexity of this life-cycle limits the natural distribution of the parasite to ecological zones where calcium-rich soils and diverse vegetation provide overlapping niches that are suited to each of the defined intermediate and generalist definitive hosts.
D. dendriticum is present throughout Europe, Asia, North Africa and North America, in both lowland and mountain pastures where suitable conditions exist for the survival and development of the intermediate hosts involved (Otranto and Traversa, 2002). The natural distribution of D. dendriticum in the British Isles is more or less confined to machair habitats where calcium-rich shell sand is blown inland onto low-lying coastal ground (Tarry, 1969). (‘Machair’ is a specific term, referring to fertile, biodiverse coastal pastures in western Scotland and Ireland.) The character of the machair has been further adapted by crofting methods, such as extensive cattle grazing and traditional hay-making practices, to create ecosystems that support diverse populations of plant, invertebrate and bird species. (‘Crofting’ refers to a specific system of land tenure and small scale mixed agricultural production, usually undertaken in conjunction with other forms of employment, that was established in Scotland as a means of poverty alleviation following the Highland clearances from the late 18th century into the 19th century). Specifically, managing livestock for conservation purposes may also influence the ecology of D. dendriticum, for example, if definitive sheep or cattle hosts are removed at times that are critical to pasture contamination with viable parasite eggs, or to the availability of infected ants. Precise tools are needed to understand such changes parasite ecology brought about by conservation management.
The development of effective and sustainable dicrocoeliosis management strategies requires a better understanding of the natural history of D. dendriticum, for example, the identity of intermediate hosts in specific biotopes; the dynamics of egg shedding (Sotiraki et al., 1999, Manga-Gonzalez et al., 2010) under specific environmental and climatic conditions; seasonal or environmental cues for sporocyst multiplication and cercarial shedding by snails; factors influencing ant survival and the seasonality of metacercarial challenge to definitive hosts. Also, the longevity of infective miracidia in the environment, (Alunda and Rojo-Vàzquez, 1983); the role of sympatric wildlife as reservoir hosts; and a broader consideration of the relationship between changing environmental and climatic conditions and parasite epidemiology (Ekstam et al., 2011).
Studies of the ecology of D. dendriticum have been based on conventional parasitological methods, including gross morphological examination and stereomicroscopic dissection to identify infected intermediate hosts (Tarry, 1969). While helpful in elucidating the parasite’s life-cycle, on their own, these methods lack the precision that is needed to accurately identify intermediate hosts to species level, or differentiate D. dendriticum infection of intermediate hosts from stages of other helminth species (Tarry, 1969, Magalhães et al., 2004). The identity of metacercariae in ants required corroboration by infection of a definitive host, which is not always possible (Martinez-Ibeas et al., 2011). Furthermore, conventional parasitological methods may fail to identify recent infections in intermediate hosts (Manga-González and González-Lanza, 2005). Histological and isoenzymatic techniques have been used, but these are time-consuming and laborious. Conventional parasitological methods may, therefore, be inadequate for helping to understand the seasonal availability of infectious stages and predict the best timing for grazing management or anthelmintic drug treatment intervention.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods amplifying 28S and 18S nuclear ribosomal genes (Imani-Baran et al., 2012) and their internal transcribed spacers, ITS-1 and -2 (Ai et al., 2010, Caron et al., 2011), have been used to detect trematode stages in intermediate hosts, as have mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (Cox-1) genes (Cucher et al., 2006). One such technique using mtDNA Cox-1 and the rDNA ITS-2 has been validated for D. dendriticum detection in snails from one day post-infection, and in ants infected with a single metacercaria (Martinez-Ibeas et al., 2011). Mitochondrial DNA accumulates nucleotide substitutions faster than ribosomal ITS regions (Vilas et al., 2005), which may be useful in distinguishing between closely-related Dicrocoelium species (Liu et al., 2014).
In the 1960s, conventional parasitology was used to describe the life-cycle of D. dendriticum and the species identity of intermediate hosts on the machair on species-rich semi-fixed dune communities at Crossapol at the western end of the Inner Hebridean Isle of Coll (Tarry, 1969). Dicrocoeliosis has continued to cause production loss in livestock kept in the same geographical area (Sargison et al., 2012). Today, much of this area is managed for bird conservation, and sheep and cattle grazing is currently limited to certain periods in the year. The impact of these management changes on the epidemiology of dicrocoeliosis is unknown. In this study, we describe the use of Cox-1 mtDNA PCR in support of field work to confirm the species identity of snail and ant intermediate hosts for D. dendriticum on the Isle of Coll. Our study provides proof-of-concept for the use of precise molecular epidemiological tools to improve knowledge of the potentially changing ecology and epidemiology of D. dendriticum, and aid in identifying more broadly applicable sustainable control strategies.
Section snippets
Sample collection
Sampling took place in July over two consecutive years, 2014 and 2015, at various sites on the Inner Hebridean Isle of Coll (Appendix 1 in Supplementary material). Sites A to E were centred around the same semi-fixed dune communities at Crossapol that were identified in previous studies (Tarry, 1969, Sargison et al., 2012). Site F was the fringe of dunes on the north shore of the island. Site G was the village of Arinagour, which is surrounded by unimproved peat-based soils. Site H was machair
Coprological analysis
Faeces collected from locations A, B, E, and F were all positive for Dicrocoelium eggs. No D. dendriticum eggs were observed in the sheep sample from the only non-machair site, location G. All rabbit faeces examined were positive for D. dendriticum. Other helminth infections observed when undertaking coprological investigations are noted in Table 2.
Morphological analysis
Images of snails and ants found clinging to flowers and the microscopic appearance of Dicrocoelium stages are shown and explained in Appendices 2
Discussion
The successful use of mtDNA PCR to detect D. dendriticum in ants and snails builds upon previous historic field work (Tarry, 1969) and more recent experimental work (Martinez-Ibeas et al., 2011) and consolidates the concept of using molecular methods for field studies of the epidemiology of trematode parasites. As a high number of copies of the mitochondrial genome are present in most cells, mtDNA markers ought to be highly sensitive for the detection of parasites (Le et al., 2002). Indeed, the
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Colin Kennedy for inviting us onto his farm and for his help with our studies on the Isle of Coll. The Moredun Research Institute receives funding from the Scottish Government. Work at the R(D)SVS uses facilities funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
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Current address: University of Glasgow, Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences,Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.