bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.07.26.605244

Equine piroplasmosis in different geographical areas in France: prevalence heterogeneity of asymptomatic carriers and low genetic diversity of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi

Jouglin, M.·Bonsergent, C.·de la Cotte, N.·Mege, M.·Bizon, C.·Courouce, A.·Lallemand, E.·Leblond, A.·Lemonnier, L.·Leroux, A.·Marano, I.·Muzard, A.·Quere, E.·Toussaint, M.·Agoulon, A.·Malandrin, L.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Equine piroplasmosis is a worldwide tick-borne disease caused by the protozoan parasites Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, with significant economic and sanitary consequences. It can also limit the export of infected horses to piroplasmosis-free countries. These two parasites are genetically variable, with greater diversity observed in T. equi. This variability can potentially impact diagnostic accuracy. Our study aimed to evaluate the frequency of asymptomatic carriers of these parasites in France and describe the circulating genotypes. We used a species-specific nested PCR protocol targeting the 18S small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene and subsequent amplicon sequencing on blood samples collected from 566 asymptomatic horses across four National Veterinary Schools. The carrier frequency varied considerably, ranging from 18.7% around Paris (central-north) to 56.1% around Lyon (southeast), with an overall prevalence of 38.3%. T. equi carriers were ten times more frequent (91.7%, 209/228 isolates) compared to B. caballi carriers (8.8%, 19/228 isolates). Notably, T. equi carrier frequency was significantly lower in the northern region (Ile de France) compared to the southeastern regions. Interestingly, a strong correlation was observed between the frequencies of asymptomatic carriers and reported cases of acute piroplasmosis across all four geographic areas. Neither gender (female, gelding, or stallion) nor horse age showed a significant effect on the frequency of asymptomatic carriers. In areas with the highest carrier frequency, a substantial proportion of horses (22.2% to 37.5%) carried T. equi before the age of three, indicating high infection pressure. Genotyping of 201 T. equi isolates revealed a predominance of genotype E (98%), with only a few isolates belonging to genotype A (2%). Notably, two of the four genotype A isolates were detected in horses originating from Spain. All 19 B. caballi isolates belonged to the most common genotype A of this species. The discussion section explores the link between these results, the tick distribution and abundance, and the frequency of detection of T. equi and B. caballi in febrile cases attributed to piroplasmosis.

Source connections

Explore related subjects

microbiologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Jouglin, M., Bonsergent, C., de la Cotte, N., Mege, M., Bizon, C., Courouce, A., Lallemand, E., Leblond, A., Lemonnier, L., Leroux, A., Marano, I., Muzard, A., Quere, E., Toussaint, M., Agoulon, A., Malandrin, L.. 2024-07-26. Equine piroplasmosis in different geographical areas in France: prevalence heterogeneity of asymptomatic carriers and low genetic diversity of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.26.605244

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

A population-scale landscape of the subgingival microbiome reveals divergent routes to periodontal dysbiosis

Periodontitis is an archetypical mucosal inflammatory disease in which microbiome dysbiosis at the tooth-epithelial interface interacts with host genetic and behavioral risk factors to drive immune-mediated tissue destruction. Although subgingival microbiome compositional shifts are thought to parallel disease severity, microbiome variation at the population-level and its relationship to periodontal clinical phenotypes and disease-modifying factors remain poorly defined. Here, we use unsupervised manifold learning to map the compositional landscape of the subgingival microbiome in 1,355 adults spanning periodontal health to severe periodontitis. We identified eight latent microbiome states organized along a branching continuum from eubiosis to dysbiosis. An intermediate microbial configuration marked ecological destabilization and bifurcation into two distinct periodontitis-associated dysbiotic trajectories, distinguished by links to gingival inflammation and smoking. Although the microbiome trajectories broadly tracked periodontal destruction, a minority of individuals showed discordant microbiome-clinical phenotypes, with some individuals with periodontitis retaining otherwise eubiotic microbiomes enriched for low-abundance pathobionts, while some cases of health or mild disease had highly dysbiotic communities, suggesting distinct host susceptibility. Together, these findings define a population-scale ecological landscape of the subgingival microbiome, reveal divergent trajectories to periodontal dysbiosis, and highlight heterogeneity in the relationship between microbial community structure and clinical disease expression.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

The iron-binding siderophore enterobactin is required for the response of multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae to zinc limitation

To persist during infection Klebsiella pneumoniae must overcome nutrient iron and zinc limitation imposed by the host immune system through a process called nutritional immunity. Secreted small molecule siderophores are a major virulence determinant of Klebsiella pneumoniae pathogenesis and are presumed to overcome nutritional immunity by binding iron for bacterial acquisition. In this work, we set out to identify how a multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae grows in zinc limited environments. Using unbiased transcriptomics, proteomics, and an arrayed transposon screen, we identified that synthesis and uptake of the siderophore enterobactin is required to allow for growth in low zinc conditions. Iron-specific chelators did not replicate this phenotype and addition of supplemental iron through heme in growth media could not complement severe growth defects of enterobactin mutant K. pneumoniae experiencing zinc limitation. Finally, zinc starvation induced enterobactin production independent of the canonical zinc uptake regulator (Zur) transcription factor suggesting an unidentified regulatory mechanism by which Gram-negative pathogens may respond to zinc stress. Together, these studies expand the role of enterobactin beyond iron regulation and highlight a previously unreported link between iron and zinc homeostasis in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2026

A microbiota-derived protease links phage susceptibility to host epithelial responses

Bacteriophages are major ecological drivers of gut microbial ecology, yet whether bacterial mechanisms that determine phage susceptibility have consequences for the mammalian host remains poorly understood. Here, we identify dipeptidyl peptidase 11 (Dpp11a), the predominant active serine protease of the prevalent gut commensal Phocaeicola vulgatus, as an unexpected bacterial defence factor. Dpp11a protects against environmental proteases and confers resistance to bacteriophage infection. Metatranscriptomic analyses further reveal increased expression of both dpp11a and P. vulgatus-associated phage transcripts in ulcerative colitis stool samples, indicating that both components of this interaction are transcriptionally active in disease-associated human microbiomes. Using the microfluidic gut-on-a-chip co-culture model HuMiX, we show that the absence of Dpp11 is accompanied by altered epithelial tight-junction remodelling during phage-bacterial infection. Together, our findings reveal that the consequences of bacterial phage defence can extend beyond phage-bacterium interactions to the mammalian epithelium.

microbiology↗