Generating super-shedders: co-infection increases bacterial load and egg production of a gastrointestinal helminth

Lass, Sandra; Hudson, Peter J.; Thakar, Juilee; Saric, Jasmina; Harvill, Eric; Albert, Réka; Perkins, Sarah E.

We undertook a detailed longitudinal study of parasite load in vivo and in real-time to quantify simultaneously the mechanics of co-infection, i.e. the parasite establishment and growth of the bacterial parasite and establishment and transmission potential of the helminth (as measured by egg production stages) during co-infection, in comparison with single infection scenarios. We examined the establishment and growth of the respiratory bacterium Bordetella bronchiseptica lux þ (a self-bioluminescent strain), using bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Simultaneously, we monitored the shedding of eggs of the directly transmitted gastrointestinal helminth Heligmosomoides polygyrus in laboratory mice. Both parasites are well studied immunologically [21] [22] [23] [24] and inhabit different physical locations in the host and so are unlikely to directly compete for resources or otherwise, therefore we hypothesize that interactions will likely be immune-mediated.