Péter Áron, Beke Boróka, László Zoltán, Hornok Sándor, Sándor Attila D
Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Int J Parasitol. 2025 Aug;55(10):537-546. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2025.04.015. Epub 2025 Apr 18.
Understanding the interplay between host species ecology and parasite dynamics is crucial for comprehending disease transmission patterns, population structures, and ecosystem health. In most host-parasite systems, host body condition is of primary importance in ectoparasite host choice. Bats were considered an exception, as previously several studies suggested that bat ectoparasites showed no or minimal dependence on host body condition. We investigated the relationships between host condition and ectoparasite abundance in multiple populations of European bent-winged bats (Miniopterus schreibersii) and their arthropod ectoparasites (mites, nycteribiid bat flies and ixodid ticks). We found weak correlations between individual host condition and combined ectoparasite abundance, with seasonal fluctuations in both, and a single seasonal peak in parasite abundance. However, when treated individually, single ectoparasite groups showed contrasting answers to changes in body condition. Body condition had a significant positive effect on wing mite abundance and a significant negative effect on the prevalence and intensity of nycteribiid bat flies, overall with no effect on tick infestation. These responses moreover showed also seasonal differences, highly correlating with the life-stages of the two host's sexes. Our long-term, large-scale study of European bent-winged bats and their arthropod ectoparasites was able to detect major influences exerted by hosts' body condition on ectoparasites' host choice. Here we showed that bat populations undergo dynamic changes in their body condition during the active period of their annual cycle, with ectoparasites evolved to differentially exploit peaks or troughs of these changes.
了解宿主物种生态学与寄生虫动态之间的相互作用对于理解疾病传播模式、种群结构和生态系统健康至关重要。在大多数宿主 - 寄生虫系统中，宿主体况在体外寄生虫的宿主选择中至关重要。蝙蝠曾被认为是个例外，因为此前多项研究表明蝙蝠体外寄生虫对宿主体况没有或仅有极小的依赖性。我们调查了欧洲弯翅蝠（Miniopterus schreibersii）多个种群及其节肢动物体外寄生虫（螨虫、蝙蝠虱蝇和硬蜱）的宿主状况与体外寄生虫丰度之间的关系。我们发现个体宿主状况与体外寄生虫总丰度之间存在微弱的相关性，两者均有季节性波动，且寄生虫丰度有一个单一的季节性峰值。然而，单独来看，单个体外寄生虫类群对身体状况变化的反应截然不同。身体状况对翼螨丰度有显著的正向影响，对蝙蝠虱蝇的患病率和感染强度有显著的负向影响，总体上对蜱虫感染没有影响。此外，这些反应也表现出季节性差异，与两种宿主性别的生命阶段高度相关。我们对欧洲弯翅蝠及其节肢动物体外寄生虫进行的长期大规模研究能够检测到宿主身体状况对体外寄生虫宿主选择的主要影响。我们在此表明，蝙蝠种群在其年度周期的活跃期内身体状况会发生动态变化，而体外寄生虫已经进化到能够不同程度地利用这些变化的峰值或低谷。
