Journal
PARASITES & VECTORS
Volume 15, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
BMC
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05443-z
Keywords
Teladorsagia circumcincta; Gastrointestinal helminth; Ruminant; Microbiome; Extracellular vesicle; Antimicrobial peptide; Excretory-secretory products
Categories
Funding
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) [BB/L027186/1]
- Academy of Medical Sciences
- PetPlan Charitable Trust
- European College of Veterinary Clinical Pathology
- BSAVA Petsavers and University of Cambridge
- Eleanor & David James PhD Scholarship
- Moredun Foundation Research fellowship
- Scottish Government Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS)
- BBSRC
- Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS 2) scheme
- Aberystwyth University
- Isaac Newton Trust
- Cambridge-Africa Research Fund
- University of Cambridge
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This study investigates the ability of gastrointestinal helminth parasites to alter the composition of the host gut microbiome. They analyze the excretory-secretory products of Teladorsagia circumcincta and identify molecules with antimicrobial activity. The study suggests that these molecules may have bactericidal and/or bacteriostatic properties.
Background: Over the past decade, evidence has emerged of the ability of gastrointestinal (GI) helminth parasites to alter the composition of the host gut microbiome; however, the mechanism(s) underpinning such interactions remain unclear. In the current study, we (i) undertake proteomic analyses of the excretory-secretory products (ESPs), including secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs), of the 'brown stomach worm' Teladorsagia circumcincta, one of the major agents causing parasite gastroenteritis in temperate areas worldwide; (ii) conduct bioinformatic analyses to identify and characterise antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with putative antimicrobial activity; and (iii) assess the bactericidal and/or bacteriostatic properties of T. circumcincta EVs, and whole and EV-depleted ESPs, using bacterial growth inhibition assays. Methods: Size-exclusion chromatography was applied to the isolation of EVs from whole T circumcincta ESPs, followed by EV characterisation via nanoparticle tracking analysis and transmission electron microscopy. Proteomic analysis of EVs and EV-depleted ESPs was conducted using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and prediction of putative AMPs was performed using available online tools. The antimicrobial activities of T. circumcincta EVs and of whole and EV-depleted ESPs against Escherichia coil were evaluated using bacterial growth inhibition assays. Results: Several molecules with putative antimicrobial activity were identified in both EVs and EV-depleted ESPs from adult T. circumcincta. Whilst exposure of E. coli to whole ESPs resulted in a significant reduction of colony-forming units over 3 h, bacterial growth was not reduced following exposure to worm EVs or EV-depleted ESPs. Conclusions: Our data points towards a bactericidal and/or bacteriostatic function of T. circumcincta ESPs, likely mediated by molecules with antimicrobial activity.
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