In the World of Aquatic Parasites, Microsporidia Matter!
Abstract
Microsporidia are highly diverse, widespread parasites related to fungi and several groups of zoosporic protistan parasites. They infect a broad range of hosts, from protists to vertebrates, in many environments including most, if not all, aquatic habitats. Their genomes range from relatively conventional to highly reduced, yet they share key cellular structures and traits underlying infection and host association. Overall microsporidian diversity, including both ‘long‐branched’ and ‘short‐branched’ lineages, is poorly sampled; their environmental diversity and host range remain therefore largely unexplored. Although short sequences are often insufficient to distinguish between species, recent targeted metabarcoding studies have revealed unexpectedly high microsporidian diversity in both oceanic and lacustrine ecosystems, along with significant spatial and temporal variation. These studies have also identified several previously unrecognized hosts, including heterotrophic protists, phytoplankton and microzooplankton, all key components of the base of aquatic food webs. These findings suggest that Microsporidia, like other parasitic groups, may strongly influence the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems. We therefore advocate increased research on Microsporidia across aquatic habitats. Integrative research combining phylogenomics, long‐read sequencing and ecology studies will be essential to fully characterize their diversity, host associations and ecological impacts.
Related
- An expanded microsporidia species attribute database documents the extensive ecological and phenotypic diversity of these parasites
- Suppression of Plasmodium falciparum infection by Microsporidia MB in wild Anopheles arabiensis populations
- Mixed infection with multiple bacteria and microsporidia (Enterocytozoon bieneusi) in a post-renal transplant patient: a case report.
- The Caenorhabditis elegans microbiome impacts microsporidia infection through nutrient limitation and spore inactivation
- Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Goats and Sheep in Mbula Kuli, Adamawa State, Nigeria
BibTeX
@article{chauvet2026world,
title = {{In the World of Aquatic Parasites, Microsporidia Matter!}},
author = {Marina Chauvet and Léa Combes and David Bass and Cécile Lepère},
journal = {Environmental Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.70439},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05780808v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - In the World of Aquatic Parasites, Microsporidia Matter!
AU - Marina Chauvet
AU - Léa Combes
AU - David Bass
AU - Cécile Lepère
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Environmental Microbiology
DO - 10.1111/1462-2920.70439
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05780808v1
AB - Microsporidia are highly diverse, widespread parasites related to fungi and several groups of zoosporic protistan parasites. They infect a broad range of hosts, from protists to vertebrates, in many environments including most, if not all, aquatic habitats. Their genomes range from relatively conventional to highly reduced, yet they share key cellular structures and traits underlying infection and host association. Overall microsporidian diversity, including both ‘long‐branched’ and ‘short‐branched’ lineages, is poorly sampled; their environmental diversity and host range remain therefore largely unexplored. Although short sequences are often insufficient to distinguish between species, recent targeted metabarcoding studies have revealed unexpectedly high microsporidian diversity in both oceanic and lacustrine ecosystems, along with significant spatial and temporal variation. These studies have also identified several previously unrecognized hosts, including heterotrophic protists, phytoplankton and microzooplankton, all key components of the base of aquatic food webs. These findings suggest that Microsporidia, like other parasitic groups, may strongly influence the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems. We therefore advocate increased research on Microsporidia across aquatic habitats. Integrative research combining phylogenomics, long‐read sequencing and ecology studies will be essential to fully characterize their diversity, host associations and ecological impacts.
SN - 1462-2912
SN - 1462-2920
ER -