Recently, the Animal Parasite and Vector Control team of SHVRI, CAAS analyzed the key pathways of Eimeria tenella resistance to maduramicin for the first time using transcriptomics in combination with metabolomics, revealing the potential mechanism of Eimeria tenella resistance to maduramicin. The research findings were published in International Journal of Parasitology: Drugs and Resistance.

Background

Avian coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria parasites, continues to devastate the poultry industry and results in significant economic losses, and medications are one of the primary strategies of controlling it. However, due to long-term non-standardized use of drugs and Eimeria parasites are prone to develop drug resistance, drug resistance has become the main obstacle to the prevention and control of coccidiosis, and the mechanism is still unknown. Maduramicin is a kind of polyether ion carrier anticoccidial drug, which can effectively control 6 Eimeira spp. and has been widely used since 1970s, however, the development of drug resistance poses a great challenge to its efficacy. Therefore, it is important to understand the mode and mechanism of drug resistance of coccidia to maduramycin.

Research Progress

In the present study, the team initially used transcriptome and metabolomics to examine the Eimeria tenella sporozoites that were maduramycin resistant (MRR) or drug susceptible (DS). Transcriptomic study found 5016 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in MRR compared to DS, with the majority participating in important processes such as spliceosome, carbon metabolism, glycolysis, and amino acid biosynthesis. Non-targeted metabolomics research found that MRR contains 297 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) compared to DS, which were mostly involved in numerous pathways including fructose and mannose metabolism, cysteine and methionine metabolism. The combined transcriptomic and metabolomic results revealed that the expression of key enzymes of the glycolytic pathway was up-regulated in the MRR-resistant strain, whereas certain key enzymes in the glutathione metabolic pathway were down-regulated; key metabolites in the glycolytic pathway were down-regulated, whereas metabolites related to the aminohexose pathway were up-regulated.

This study identified for the first time the significant differences in sugar and amino acid metabolism between MRR and DS, as well as potential key pathways for the development of maduramicin resistance in Eimeria tenella, laying the groundwork for future research into the molecular and metabolic mechanisms of maduramicin resistance in Eimeria tenella.

Overview of transcriptome and metabolome enriched pathways associated with resistance to maduramycin in Eimeria tenella

Schematic diagram of resistance of  Eimeria tenella  to maduramycin

Project funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Parasite Resource Sharing Service Platform Program. PhD student Huanzhi Zhao and Prof. Hui Dong from SHVRI are co-first authors of this study, with Prof. Hongyu Han serving as corresponding author.

Link to Original Article

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpddr.2024.100526