Coinfection with a virus constrains within-host infection load but
increases transmission potential of a highly virulent fungal plant
pathogen
Abstract
The trade-off between within-host infection load and transmission to new
hosts is predicted to constrain pathogen evolution, and to maintain
polymorphism in pathogen populations. The life-history stages and their
correlations that underpin infection development may change under
coinfection with other parasites as they compete for the same limited
host resources. Cross-kingdom interactions are common among pathogens in
both natural and cultivated systems yet their impact on disease ecology
and evolution are rarely studied. Host plant Plantago lanceolata is
naturally infected by both Phompopsis subordinaria, a seed killing
fungus, as well as Plantago lanceolata latent virus (PlLV) in the Åland
Islands, SW Finland. We performed an inoculation assay to test whether
coinfection with PlLV affects performance of two P. subordinaria
strains, and the correlation between within-host infection load and
transmission potential. The strains differed in the measured
life-history traits and their correlations. Moreover, we found that
under virus coinfection, within-host infection load of P. subordinaria
was lower but transmission potential was higher compared to strains
under single infection. The negative correlation between within-host
infection load and transmission potential detected under single
infection became positive under coinfection with PlLV. In wild
populations, within-host infection load was positively associated with
within-population disease prevalence. Jointly, our results suggest that
the trade-off between within-host infection load and transmission may be
strain specific, and that the pathogen life-history that underpin
epidemics may change depending on the diversity of infection, generating
variation in disease dynamics.