Grécias Lucie, Valentin Julie, Aubin-Horth Nadia
Département de Biologie et Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec, Canada G1V OA6.
Département de Biologie et Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec, Canada G1V OA6
J Exp Biol. 2018 Mar 26;221(Pt 6):jeb174748. doi: 10.1242/jeb.174748.
Many parasites with complex life cycles modify the behaviour of their intermediate host, which has been proposed to increase transmission to their definitive host. This behavioural change could result from the parasite actively manipulating its host, but could also be explained by a mechanical effect, where the physical presence of the parasite affects host behaviour. We created an artificial internal parasite using silicone injections in the body cavity to test this mechanical effect hypothesis. We used the and threespine stickleback () system, as this cestode can reach up to 92% of its fish host mass. Our results suggest that the mass burden brought by this macroparasite alone is not sufficient to cause behavioural changes in its host. Furthermore, our results show that wall-hugging (thigmotaxis), a measure of anxiety in vertebrates, is significantly reduced in -infected sticklebacks, unveiling a new altered component of behaviour that may result from manipulation by this macroparasite.
许多具有复杂生命周期的寄生虫会改变其中间宿主的行为，这被认为是为了增加向其终末宿主的传播。这种行为变化可能是寄生虫主动操纵其宿主的结果，但也可以用机械效应来解释，即寄生虫的物理存在影响宿主行为。我们通过在体腔中注射硅树脂制造了一种人工体内寄生虫，以检验这种机械效应假说。我们使用了 和三刺鱼（）系统，因为这种绦虫的质量可达其鱼类宿主质量的92%。我们的结果表明，仅这种大型寄生虫带来的质量负担不足以导致其宿主的行为变化。此外，我们的结果表明，在感染 的刺鱼中，作为脊椎动物焦虑衡量指标的贴壁行为（趋触性）显著减少，揭示了这种大型寄生虫操纵可能导致的一种新的行为改变成分。
