Microbiome “Inception”: an Intestinal Cestode Shapes a Hierarchy of Microbial Communities Nested within the Host
Jaelle C. Brealey, Laurène Alicia Lecaudey, Miyako Kodama, Jacob Agerbo Rasmussen, Harald Sveier, Nolwenn M. Dheilly, Michael D. Martin, Morten T. Limborg
Abstract
The importance of the parasite microbiome is gaining recognition. Of particular concern is understanding how these parasite microbiomes influence host-parasite interactions and parasite interactions with the vertebrate host microbiome as part of a system of nested holobionts. However, there are still relatively few studies focusing on the microbiome of parasitic helminths in general and almost none on cestodes in particular, despite the significant burden of disease caused by these parasites globally. Our study provides insights into a system of significance to the aquaculture industry, cestode infections of Atlantic salmon and, more broadly, expands our general understanding of parasite-microbiome-host interactions and introduces a new element, the microbiome of the parasite itself, which may play a critical role in modulating the host microbiome, and, therefore, the host response, to parasite infection.