Interaction between Insects, Toxins, and Bacteria: Have We Been Wrong So Far? - Archive ouverte HAL Access content directly
Journal Articles Toxins Year : 2018

Interaction between Insects, Toxins, and Bacteria: Have We Been Wrong So Far?

Guillaume Tetreau

Abstract

Toxins are a major virulence factor produced by many pathogenic bacteria. In vertebrates, the response of hosts to the bacteria is inseparable from the response to the toxins, allowing a comprehensive understanding of this tripartite host-pathogen-toxin interaction. However, in invertebrates, this interaction has been investigated by two complementary but historically distinct fields of research: toxinology and immunology. In this article, I highlight how such dichotomy between these two fields led to a biased, or even erroneous view of the ecology and evolution of the interaction between insects, toxins, and bacteria. I focus on the reason behind such a dichotomy, on how to bridge the fields together, and on confounding effects that could bias the outcome of the experiments. Finally, I raise four questions at the border of the two fields on the cross-effects between toxins, bacteria, and spores that have been largely underexplored to promote a more comprehensive view of this interaction.

Dates and versions

hal-01989091 , version 1 (22-01-2019)

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Guillaume Tetreau. Interaction between Insects, Toxins, and Bacteria: Have We Been Wrong So Far?. Toxins, 2018, 10 (7), pp.281. ⟨10.3390/toxins10070281⟩. ⟨hal-01989091⟩
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