Budischak Sarah A, Sakamoto Kaori, Megow Lindsey C, Cummings Kelly R, Urban Joseph F, Ezenwa Vanessa O
Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Int J Parasitol. 2015 Jun;45(7):455-63. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2015.02.005. Epub 2015 Mar 24.
Most animals are concurrently infected with multiple parasite species and live in environments with fluctuating resource availability. Resource limitation can influence host immune responses and the degree of competition between co-infecting parasites, yet its effects on individual health and pathogen transmission have not been studied for co-infected hosts. To test how resource limitation affects immune trade-offs and co-infection outcomes, we conducted a factorial experiment using laboratory mice. Mice were given a standard or low protein diet, dosed with two species of helminths (alone and in combination), and then challenged with a microparasite. Using a community ecology trophic framework, we found that co-infection influenced parasite survival and reproduction via host immunity, but the magnitude and direction of responses depended on resources and the combination of co-infecting parasites. Our findings highlight that resources and their consequence for host defenses are a key context that shapes the magnitude and direction of parasite interactions.
大多数动物同时感染多种寄生虫，并且生活在资源可利用性波动的环境中。资源限制会影响宿主的免疫反应以及共同感染的寄生虫之间的竞争程度，然而其对共同感染宿主的个体健康和病原体传播的影响尚未得到研究。为了测试资源限制如何影响免疫权衡和共同感染结果，我们使用实验室小鼠进行了一项析因实验。给小鼠喂食标准或低蛋白饮食，用两种蠕虫（单独和联合）给药，然后用一种微寄生虫进行攻击。使用群落生态学营养框架，我们发现共同感染通过宿主免疫影响寄生虫的存活和繁殖，但反应的大小和方向取决于资源以及共同感染的寄生虫组合。我们的研究结果强调，资源及其对宿主防御的影响是塑造寄生虫相互作用大小和方向的关键背景。
