Microsporidian coinfection reduces fitness of a fungal pathogen due to rapid host mortality

Abstract

Infection outcomes can be strongly context-dependent, shifting a host-symbiont relationship along a parasitism-mutualism continuum. Numerous studies show that under stressful conditions, symbionts that are typically mutualistic can become parasitic. The reverse possibility - a parasite becoming mutualistic - has received much less study. We investigated whether the parasitic microsporidium Ordospora pajunii can become beneficial for its host Daphnia dentifera in the presence of the more virulent fungal pathogen Metschnikowia bicuspidata. We found that, even though infection with O. pajunii reduces the frequency of penetration of M. bicuspidata spores into the host body cavity, it does not improve the survival or reproduction of the host; conversely, coinfection increased the mortality of Daphnia. However, the shorter lifespan of coinfected hosts disrupted the life cycle of M. bicuspidata, greatly reducing its fitness. Thus, coinfection with both pathogens was detrimental to the host at the individual level, but might be beneficial for the host population as a result of greatly reduced production of M. bicuspidata spores. If so, this would mean that O. pajunii outbreaks should delay or prevent M. bicuspidata outbreaks. In support of this, in an analysis of dynamics of naturally occurring outbreaks in two lakes where these pathogens co-occur, we found a time lag in occurrence between O. pajunii and M. bicuspidata, with M. bicuspidata epidemics only occurring after the collapse of O. pajunii epidemics. Thus, these results suggest that the interaction between co-occurring symbionts - and the net impact of a symbiont on a host - might be qualitatively different at different scales. ImportanceUnderstanding the factors that modify infection probability and virulence is crucial for identifying the drivers of infection outbreaks and modeling disease epidemic progression, and increases our ability to control diseases and reduce the harm they cause. One factor that can strongly influence infection probability and virulence is the presence of other pathogens. However, while coexposures and coinfections are incredibly common, we still have only a limited understanding of how pathogen interactions alter infection outcomes, or whether their impacts are scale-dependent. We used a system of one host and two pathogens to show that sequential coinfection can have a tremendous impact on the host and on the infecting pathogens, and that the outcome of (co-)infection can be negative or positive depending on the focal organization level.