Two's company, three's a crowd: Exploring how host-parasite-microbiota interactions may influence disease susceptibility and conservation of wildlife

A large body of research has demonstrated that host-associated microbiota-the archaeal, bacterial, fungal and viral communities residing on and inside organisms-are critical to host health (Cho & Blaser, 2012). Although the vast majority of these studies focus on humans or model organisms in laboratory settings (Pascoe, Hauffe, Marchesi, & Perkins, 2017), they nevertheless provide important conceptual evidence that the disruption of host-associated microbial communities (termed dysbiosis) among wild animals may reduce host fitness and survival under natural environmental conditions. Among the myriad of environmental factors capable of inducing dysbiosis among wild animals (Trevelline, Fontaine, Hartup, & Kohl, 2019), parasitic infections represent a potentially potent, yet poorly understood, factor influencing microbial community dynamics and animal health. The study by DeCandia et al. in this issue of Molecular Ecology is a rare example of a host-parasite-microbiota interaction that impacts the health, survival and conservation of a threatened wild animal in its natural habitat. Using culture-independent techniques, DeCandia et al. found that the presence of an ectoparasitic mite (Otodectes cynotis) in the ear canal of the Santa Catalina Island fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae) was associated with significantly reduced ear canal microbial diversity, with the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus pseudintermedius dominating the community. These findings suggest that parasite-induced inflammation may contribute to the formation of ceruminous gland tumours in this subspecies of Channel Island fox. As a rare example of a host-parasite-microbiota interaction that may mediate a lethal disease in a population of threatened animals, their study provides an excellent example of how aspects of disease ecology can be integrated into studies of host-associated microbiota to advance conservation science and practice.