Coadaptation of blood-dwelling apicomplexan parasites and their vertebrate and invertebrate hosts

血液中顶复门寄生虫及其脊椎动物和无脊椎动物宿主的相互适应

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-06153
• 负责人: Smith, Todd
• 金额: $ 1.53万
• 依托单位: Acadia University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=632215
• 关键词: Coadaptation; blood; dwelling; apicomplexan; parasites

My research focuses on the interactions between blood parasites and their vertebrate and invertebrate hosts to investigate the processes that result in the complex life cycles, host specificity and virulence of these parasites.  One of the most important groups of one-celled animals, or protozoa, is the phylum Apicomplexa.  Parasites in this phylum cause many devastating diseases, including malaria and toxoplasmosis of humans, and coccidiosis and neosporosis of domesticated animals.  Additionally, nearly every species of wildlife is parasitised with a number of apicomplexan parasites in their blood, tissues or intestinal tracts.  The aim of my proposal is to identify the functional, immunological, ecological and phylogenetic features associated with the interaction between blood-dwelling apicomplexan parasites and vertebrate and invertebrate host cells.  I propose a diverse research approach using two well-defined model systems that will discern mechanisms forming the basis of interactions between apicomplexan parasites and hosts. The first system involves two blood parasites of the genus

我的研究重点是血液寄生虫与它们的脊椎动物和无脊椎动物宿主之间的相互作用，以调查导致这些寄生虫复杂的生活史、宿主特异性和毒力的过程。单细胞动物或原生动物中最重要的类群之一是尖端复合体。这一门中的这些寄生虫会导致许多毁灭性的疾病，包括人类的疟疾和弓形虫病，以及家养动物的球虫病和新孢子虫病。此外，几乎每一种野生动物都被寄生在它们的血液、组织或肠道中的许多顶体寄生虫中。我提议的目的是鉴定这些寄生虫的功能、免疫学、免疫学和新孢子虫病与血液栖息的顶复合体寄生虫与脊椎动物和无脊椎动物宿主细胞之间的相互作用有关的生态和系统发育特征。我提出了一种多样化的研究方法，使用两个定义良好的模型系统，这两个模型系统将辨别形成顶复合体寄生虫与宿主之间相互作用的基础的机制。第一个系统涉及该属的两种血液寄生虫。