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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Robert HirtORCiD
This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by Cambridge University Press, 2019.
For re-use rights please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.
Microbial parasites adapted to thrive at mammalian mucosal surfaces have evolved multiple times from phylogenetically distant lineages into various extracellular and intracellular life styles. Their symbiotic relationships can range from commensalism to parasitism and more recently some host–parasites interactions are thought to have evolved into mutualistic associations too. It is increasingly appreciated that this diversity of symbiotic outcomes is the product of a complex network of parasites–microbiota–host interactions. Refinement and broader use of DNA based detection techniques are providing increasing evidence of how common some mucosal microbial parasites are and their host range, with some species being able to swap hosts, including from farm and pet animals to humans. A selection of examples will illustrate the zoonotic potential for a number of microbial parasites and how some species can be either disruptive or beneficial nodes in the complex networks of host–microbe interactions disrupting or maintaining mucosal homoeostasis. It will be argued that mucosal microbial parasitic diversity will represent an important resource to help us dissect through comparative studies the role of host–microbe interactions in both human health and disease.
Author(s): Hirt RP
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Parasitology
Year: 2019
Volume: 146
Issue: 9
Pages: 1109-1115
Print publication date: 05/08/2019
Online publication date: 05/08/2019
Acceptance date: 30/04/2019
Date deposited: 17/08/2019
ISSN (print): 0031-1820
ISSN (electronic): 1469-8161
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182019000647
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182019000647
PubMed id: 31378213
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