A large body of research has demonstrated that host-associated microbiota-the archaeal, bacterial, fungal and viral communities residing on and inside organisms-are critical to host health (Cho & Blaser, 2012). Although the vast majority of these studies focus on humans or model organisms in laboratory settings (Pascoe, Hauffe, Marchesi, & Perkins, 2017), they nevertheless provide important conceptual evidence that the disruption of host-associated microbial communities (termed "dysbiosis") among wild animals may reduce host fitness and survival under natural environmental conditions. Among the myriad of environmental factors capable of inducing dysbiosis among wild animals (Trevelline, Fontaine, Hartup, & Kohl, 2019), parasitic infections represent a potentially potent, yet poorly understood, factor influencing microbial community dynamics and animal health. The study by DeCandia et al. in this issue of Molecular Ecology is a rare example of a host-parasite-microbiota interaction that impacts the health, survival and conservation of a threatened wild animal in its natural habitat. Using culture-independent techniques, DeCandia et al. found that the presence of an ectoparasitic mite (Otodectes cynotis) in the ear canal of the Santa Catalina Island fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae) was associated with significantly reduced ear canal microbial diversity, with the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus pseudintermedius dominating the community. These findings suggest that parasite-induced inflammation may contribute to the formation of ceruminous gland tumours in this subspecies of Channel Island fox. As a rare example of a host-parasite-microbiota interaction that may mediate a lethal disease in a population of threatened animals, their study provides an excellent example of how aspects of disease ecology can be integrated into studies of host-associated microbiota to advance conservation science and practice.

中文翻译：

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二人公司，三人公司：探讨宿主-寄生虫-微生物群的相互作用如何影响疾病的易感性和野生生物的保护。

大量研究表明，寄主相关微生物群（位于生物体内和内部的古细菌，细菌，真菌和病毒群落）对于寄主健康至关重要（Cho＆Blaser，2012）。尽管这些研究中的绝大多数都集中在实验室环境中的人类或模型生物上（Pascoe，Hauffe，Marchesi和Perkins，2017年），但它们提供了重要的概念证据，证明与宿主相关的微生物群落的破坏（称为“营养不良”）。野生动物之间的竞争可能会降低宿主在自然环境下的适应能力和生存率。在无数能够引起野生动物营养不良的环境因素中（Trevelline，Fontaine，Hartup和Kohl，2019），寄生虫感染代表着潜在的潜在但尚未充分理解的疾病，影响微生物群落动态和动物健康的因素。DeCandia等人的研究。在本期《分子生态学》中，宿主-寄生虫-微生物群相互作用的罕见实例影响了自然栖息地中受威胁的野生动物的健康，生存和保存。使用与文化无关的技术，DeCandia等人。发现在圣卡塔利娜岛狐狸（Urocyon littoralis catalinae）的耳道中存在外寄生螨（Otodectes cynotis）与耳道微生物多样性显着降低有关，机会病原体为假单胞菌假单胞菌。这些发现表明，寄生虫诱发的炎症可能在海峡狐狸的这个亚种中导致了陶瓷性腺瘤的形成。