TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of sex in parasite dynamics
T2 - Model simulations on transmission of Heligmosomoides polygyrus in populations of yellow-necked mice, Apodemus flavicollis
AU - Ferrari, N.
AU - Rosà, R.
AU - Pugliese, A.
AU - Hudson, P. J.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Sarah Perkins, Annapaola Rizzoli and Isabella Cattadori for comments and their valuable contributions. This study was funded by the Centro di Ecologia Alpina, and Provincia Autonoma di Trento (Grant No. 1060: ECODIS-Ecology and Control of some zoonotic Diseases). Roberto Rosà was supported by the Autonomous Province of Trento under Grant No. 3479 (30th December 2003) “MOSTWIN-Modelling the spatio-temporal dynamics of zoonotic wildlife infections”. The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for providing observations and suggestions that led to an improved version of the paper.
Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2007/3
Y1 - 2007/3
N2 - We investigated possible mechanisms that could cause sex-biased parasite transmission of the helminth Heligmosomoides polygyrus in its rodent host, Apodemus flavicollis, using a modelling approach. Two, not mutually exclusive, hypotheses were examined: that sex-biased parasite transmission is caused by differences in immunity that influence the success of free-living stages and/or is caused by sex differences in host behaviour and the dissemination of infective stages. Model simulations were compared with results from a field manipulation experiment of H. polygyrus in replicated populations of A. flavicollis. Simulations predicted the experimental field results, and both hypotheses explained the pattern observed. Transmission is male-biased if a male immune response increases fertility, hatching or survival of free-living stages. Alternatively, transmission is male-biased if their behavioural characteristics allow them to spread infective larvae in areas more frequently used by females. These results highlight that host sex is not only responsible for differences in parasite susceptibility, but may profoundly influence host-parasite interactions, resulting in a sex bias in parasite transmission.
AB - We investigated possible mechanisms that could cause sex-biased parasite transmission of the helminth Heligmosomoides polygyrus in its rodent host, Apodemus flavicollis, using a modelling approach. Two, not mutually exclusive, hypotheses were examined: that sex-biased parasite transmission is caused by differences in immunity that influence the success of free-living stages and/or is caused by sex differences in host behaviour and the dissemination of infective stages. Model simulations were compared with results from a field manipulation experiment of H. polygyrus in replicated populations of A. flavicollis. Simulations predicted the experimental field results, and both hypotheses explained the pattern observed. Transmission is male-biased if a male immune response increases fertility, hatching or survival of free-living stages. Alternatively, transmission is male-biased if their behavioural characteristics allow them to spread infective larvae in areas more frequently used by females. These results highlight that host sex is not only responsible for differences in parasite susceptibility, but may profoundly influence host-parasite interactions, resulting in a sex bias in parasite transmission.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ijpara.2006.10.015
DO - 10.1016/j.ijpara.2006.10.015
M3 - Article
C2 - 17188276
AN - SCOPUS:33846856422
SN - 0020-7519
VL - 37
SP - 341
EP - 349
JO - International Journal for Parasitology
JF - International Journal for Parasitology
IS - 3-4
ER -
