Host-pathogen interaction: differences in relation between three types of hosts to Fascioloides magna infection

Fascioloidosis is an invasive disease caused by the non-native European species of bisexual fluke Fascioloides magna. For now, it is possible to distinguish three types of final wild carriers of this fluke in Europe: typical (red deer and fallow deer), “dead end” (wild boar) and atypical (roe deer, mouflon and chamois). Although the appearance of this parasite has stimulated a relatively large interest of the scientific public, resulting in the publication of numerous scientific articles, host-parasite interactions are still not clarified. At the same time, fascioloidosis of atypical carriers is often a fatal disease, and a decline in the number of roe deer was recorded in the invaded areas. The goal is to understand the host-parasite interaction in different types of hosts. The assumptions of the project are: i) permanent migration of flukes through the carrier’s liver is a consequence of the carrier’s inadequate immune response, and ii) permanent migration of flukes through the carrier’s liver is a consequence of the impossibility of sexual maturation of the fluke. The goals of the project are: a) to study the macroscopic and microscopic changes on and in the livers of different types of carriers, b) to understand the immune response to the fluke F. magna in different carriers, c) to compare the diversity/existence of specific MHC gene alleles in different types of carriers, d) to analyze different fluke stages in different carriers. Blood samples, whole livers and flukes will be collected during regular hunting operations. We will classify individuals into negative, invaded, re-invaded and cured. Animals from areas where fascioloidosis has not been established will serve as completely negative controls. We will analyze the collected samples by parasitological, omics methods, NGS and classic MHC gene analysis, by dissection of flukes. The analyses will be carried out by a team formed during the implementation of the establishment research project with the help of members of the ERA Chairs project for the proteomics part. We expect that the results of the project will provide answers about the significant interactions between the carrier and the parasite on the example of fascioloidosis.