Eimeria: Navigating complex intestinal ecosystems.

Eimeria is an intracellular obligate apicomplexan parasite that parasitizes the intestinal epithelial cells of livestock and poultry, exhibiting strong host and tissue tropism. Parasite-host interactions involve complex networks and vary as the parasites develop in the host. However, understanding t...

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Main Authors: Shengjie Weng, Erjie Tian, Meng Gao, Siyu Zhang, Guodong Yang, Bianhua Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2024-11-01
Series:PLoS Pathogens
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012689
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author Shengjie Weng
Erjie Tian
Meng Gao
Siyu Zhang
Guodong Yang
Bianhua Zhou
author_facet Shengjie Weng
Erjie Tian
Meng Gao
Siyu Zhang
Guodong Yang
Bianhua Zhou
author_sort Shengjie Weng
collection DOAJ
description Eimeria is an intracellular obligate apicomplexan parasite that parasitizes the intestinal epithelial cells of livestock and poultry, exhibiting strong host and tissue tropism. Parasite-host interactions involve complex networks and vary as the parasites develop in the host. However, understanding the underlying mechanisms remains a challenge. Acknowledging the lack of studies on Eimeria invasion mechanism, we described the possible invasion process through comparative analysis with other apicomplexan parasites and explored the fact that parasite-host interactions serve as a prerequisite for successful recognition, penetration of the intestinal mechanical barrier, and completion of the invasion. Although it is recognized that microbiota can enhance the host immune capacity to resist Eimeria invasion, changes in the microenvironment can, in turn, contribute to Eimeria invasion and may be associated with reduced immune capacity. We also discuss the immune evasion strategies of Eimeria, emphasizing that the host employs sophisticated immune regulatory mechanisms to suppress immune evasion by parasites, thereby sustaining a balanced immune response. This review aims to deepen our understanding of Eimeria-host interactions, providing a theoretical basis for the study of the pathogenicity of Eimeria and the development of novel anticoccidial drugs.
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publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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series PLoS Pathogens
spelling doaj-art-4c6c4a78ae2743ea9daa81cb52ee99da2025-08-20T02:38:31ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Pathogens1553-73661553-73742024-11-012011e101268910.1371/journal.ppat.1012689Eimeria: Navigating complex intestinal ecosystems.Shengjie WengErjie TianMeng GaoSiyu ZhangGuodong YangBianhua ZhouEimeria is an intracellular obligate apicomplexan parasite that parasitizes the intestinal epithelial cells of livestock and poultry, exhibiting strong host and tissue tropism. Parasite-host interactions involve complex networks and vary as the parasites develop in the host. However, understanding the underlying mechanisms remains a challenge. Acknowledging the lack of studies on Eimeria invasion mechanism, we described the possible invasion process through comparative analysis with other apicomplexan parasites and explored the fact that parasite-host interactions serve as a prerequisite for successful recognition, penetration of the intestinal mechanical barrier, and completion of the invasion. Although it is recognized that microbiota can enhance the host immune capacity to resist Eimeria invasion, changes in the microenvironment can, in turn, contribute to Eimeria invasion and may be associated with reduced immune capacity. We also discuss the immune evasion strategies of Eimeria, emphasizing that the host employs sophisticated immune regulatory mechanisms to suppress immune evasion by parasites, thereby sustaining a balanced immune response. This review aims to deepen our understanding of Eimeria-host interactions, providing a theoretical basis for the study of the pathogenicity of Eimeria and the development of novel anticoccidial drugs.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012689
spellingShingle Shengjie Weng
Erjie Tian
Meng Gao
Siyu Zhang
Guodong Yang
Bianhua Zhou
Eimeria: Navigating complex intestinal ecosystems.
PLoS Pathogens
title Eimeria: Navigating complex intestinal ecosystems.
title_full Eimeria: Navigating complex intestinal ecosystems.
title_fullStr Eimeria: Navigating complex intestinal ecosystems.
title_full_unstemmed Eimeria: Navigating complex intestinal ecosystems.
title_short Eimeria: Navigating complex intestinal ecosystems.
title_sort eimeria navigating complex intestinal ecosystems
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012689
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AT guodongyang eimerianavigatingcomplexintestinalecosystems
AT bianhuazhou eimerianavigatingcomplexintestinalecosystems