1
|
Butterworth NJ, Heffernan L, Hall MD. Is there a sicker sex? Dose relationships modify male-female differences in infection prevalence. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232575. [PMID: 38196362 PMCID: PMC10777155 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Throughout the animal kingdom, there are striking differences in the propensity of one sex or the other to become infected. However, precisely when we should expect males or females to be the sicker sex remains unclear. A major barrier to answering this question is that very few studies have considered how the susceptibility of males and females changes across the full range of pathogen doses encountered in nature. Without quantifying this 'dose-susceptibility' relationship, we have likely underestimated the scope for sex differences to arise. Here, we use the Daphnia magnia-Pasteuria ramosa system to reveal that sex differences in susceptibility are entirely dose-dependent, with pathogens having a higher probability of successfully establishing an infection in mature males at low doses, but mature females at high doses. The scope for male-female differences to emerge is therefore much greater than previously appreciated-extending to sex differences in the upper limits to infection success, per-propagule infectivity risks and density-dependent pathogen behaviour. Applying this expanded scope across the animal kingdom will help us understand when and why a sicker sex emerges, and the implications for diseases in nature-where sex ratios, age structure and pathogen densities vary drastically.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan J. Butterworth
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Lindsey Heffernan
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Matthew D. Hall
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sex-biased, but not plumage color-based, prevalence of haemosporidian parasites in free-range chickens. Parasitol Int 2023; 93:102722. [PMID: 36529451 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2022.102722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies found a relationship between blood parasite infection and bird gender, with higher prevalence in males. Some studies also found a relationship between host plumage color and parasitic infection, while others did not. Here, we investigated the blood parasite prevalence in correlation with sex and plumage color in free-range chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in China. We analyzed a total of 297 blood samples, out of which 234 chickens tested positive for haemosporidian parasites, with 78.5% parasite prevalence. Out of 139 males, 118 tested positive with 84.8% parasite prevalence while 116 of 158 female samples tested positive (73.4%). Leucocytotozoon was the most frequent genus isolated (193 infected individuals /234 birds), followed by Plasmodium (41 infected individuals/234 birds), with no Haemoproteus parasites being detected. There were no significant differences in the body parameters and chicken color plumages with regards to the infection status. Our study indicated that blood parasite infection was significantly different between male and female chickens, with infection prevalent in males.
Collapse
|
3
|
Siva-Jothy JA, Vale PF. Dissecting genetic and sex-specific sources of host heterogeneity in pathogen shedding and spread. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009196. [PMID: 33465160 PMCID: PMC7846003 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Host heterogeneity in disease transmission is widespread but precisely how different host traits drive this heterogeneity remains poorly understood. Part of the difficulty in linking individual variation to population-scale outcomes is that individual hosts can differ on multiple behavioral, physiological and immunological axes, which will together impact their transmission potential. Moreover, we lack well-characterized, empirical systems that enable the quantification of individual variation in key host traits, while also characterizing genetic or sex-based sources of such variation. Here we used Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila C Virus as a host-pathogen model system to dissect the genetic and sex-specific sources of variation in multiple host traits that are central to pathogen transmission. Our findings show complex interactions between genetic background, sex, and female mating status accounting for a substantial proportion of variance in lifespan following infection, viral load, virus shedding, and viral load at death. Two notable findings include the interaction between genetic background and sex accounting for nearly 20% of the variance in viral load, and genetic background alone accounting for ~10% of the variance in viral shedding and in lifespan following infection. To understand how variation in these traits could generate heterogeneity in individual pathogen transmission potential, we combined measures of lifespan following infection, virus shedding, and previously published data on fly social aggregation. We found that the interaction between genetic background and sex explained ~12% of the variance in individual transmission potential. Our results highlight the importance of characterising the sources of variation in multiple host traits to understand the drivers of heterogeneity in disease transmission.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathon A. Siva-Jothy
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Pedro F. Vale
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Laidlaw T, Hector TE, Sgrò CM, Hall MD. Pathogen exposure reduces sexual dimorphism in a host's upper thermal limits. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:12851-12859. [PMID: 33304498 PMCID: PMC7713950 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The climate is warming at an unprecedented rate, pushing many species toward and beyond the upper temperatures at which they can survive. Global change is also leading to dramatic shifts in the distribution of pathogens. As a result, upper thermal limits and susceptibility to infection should be key determinants of whether populations continue to persist, or instead go extinct. Within a population, however, individuals vary in both their resistance to both heat stress and infection, and their contributions to vital growth rates. No more so is this true than for males and females. Each sex often varies in their response to pathogen exposure, thermal tolerances, and particularly their influence on population growth, owing to the higher parental investment that females typically make in their offspring. To date, the interplay between host sex, infection, and upper thermal limits has been neglected. Here, we explore the response of male and female Daphnia to bacterial infection and static heat stress. We find that female Daphnia, when uninfected, are much more resistant to static heat stress than males, but that infection negates any advantage that females are afforded. We discuss how the capacity of a population to cope with multiple stressors may be underestimated unless both sexes are considered simultaneously.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tess Laidlaw
- School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Geometric BiologyMonash UniversityMelbourneVic.Australia
| | - Tobias E. Hector
- School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Geometric BiologyMonash UniversityMelbourneVic.Australia
| | - Carla M. Sgrò
- School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Geometric BiologyMonash UniversityMelbourneVic.Australia
| | - Matthew D. Hall
- School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Geometric BiologyMonash UniversityMelbourneVic.Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Li F, Wu Y, Bian W, Huang L, Zhu X, Chen X, Wang M. Features and associated factors of bacterial skin infections in hospitalized patients with pemphigus: a single-center retrospective study. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2020; 19:46. [PMID: 33032608 PMCID: PMC7545872 DOI: 10.1186/s12941-020-00388-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infections were the primary cause of death (34.3-55.5%) in patients with pemphigus. Skin was usually the origin of infections. The study aimed to explore features and associated factors of bacterial skin infections (BSIs) in inpatients with pemphigus. METHODS One hundred and seventy-seven inpatients with pemphigus hospitalizing from November 2014 to April 2019 were continuously recruited through Peking University First Hospital's inpatient records inpatients with pemphigus hospitalizing from November 2014 to April 2019 were continuously recruited through Peking University First Hospital's inpatient records. Then, we retrieved the clinical and laboratory data to explore the characteristics and associated factors of BSIs. RESULTS Of patients enrolled, pemphigus vulgaris (PV, n = 142) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF, n = 9) were most common, followed by pemphigus erythematosus (PE, n = 25) and pemphigus vegetans (Pveg, n = 1). Eighty-seven of 177 (49.2%) inpatients developed BSIs, and they had a longer length of stay compared with inpatients without BSIs (median: 18.9 vs. 14.1 days, p = 0.008). Staphylococcus aureus was the most common bacteria (71.3%, 62/87) and highly resistant to penicillin (91.9%, 57/62). Higher levels of anti-Dsg1 autoantibodies (> 124.2 U/mL) (p < 0.001, odds ratio [OR] = 3.564, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.784-7.123) and anti-Dsg3 autoantibodies (> 169.5 U/mL) (p = 0.03, OR = 2.074, 95% CI: 1.084-3.969) were underlying risk factors of BSIs when analyzed by binary regression analysis. As for Gram's stain of bacteria, females had a lower rate of Gram-positive infections (p = 0.03). Patients using oral antibiotics (p = 0.05) had a higher rate of Gram-negative infections. Inpatients who were hospitalized in other hospitals within 2 weeks before the current admission had a higher rate of Gram-negative and co-infections (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Inpatients with pemphigus had a high incidence of BSIs. Some factors were associated with the susceptibility of BSIs and bacterial species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Furong Li
- Department of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Skin and Immune Diseases, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis on Dermatoses, Beijing, China
| | - Yejun Wu
- Department of Eight-year Clinical Medical Education, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjie Bian
- Department of Eight-year Clinical Medical Education, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Huang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xuejun Zhu
- Department of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Skin and Immune Diseases, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis on Dermatoses, Beijing, China
| | - Xixue Chen
- Department of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Skin and Immune Diseases, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis on Dermatoses, Beijing, China
| | - Mingyue Wang
- Department of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China. .,National Clinical Research Center for Skin and Immune Diseases, Beijing, China. .,Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis on Dermatoses, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hall MD, Mideo N. Linking sex differences to the evolution of infectious disease life-histories. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0431. [PMID: 30150228 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in the prevalence, course and severity of infection are widespread, yet the evolutionary consequences of these differences remain unclear. Understanding how male-female differences affect the trajectory of infectious disease requires connecting the contrasting dynamics that pathogens might experience within each sex to the number of susceptible and infected individuals that are circulating in a population. In this study, we build on theory using genetic covariance functions to link the growth of a pathogen within a host to the evolution and spread of disease between individuals. Using the Daphnia-Pasteuria system as a test case, we show that on the basis of within-host dynamics alone, females seem to be more evolutionarily liable for the pathogen, with higher spore loads and greater divergence among pathogen genotypes as infection progresses. Between-host transmission, however, appears to offset the lower performance of a pathogen within a male host, making even subtle differences between the sexes evolutionarily relevant, as long as the selection generated by the between-host dynamics is sufficiently strong. Our model suggests that relatively simple differences in within-host processes occurring in males and females can lead to complex patterns of genetic constraint on pathogen evolution, particularly during an expanding epidemic.This article is part of the theme issue 'Linking local adaptation with the evolution of sex differences'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Hall
- School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Geometric Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Nicole Mideo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hicks O, Green JA, Daunt F, Cunningham EJA, Newell M, Butler A, Burthe SJ. Sublethal effects of natural parasitism act through maternal, but not paternal, reproductive success in a wild population. Ecology 2019; 100:e02772. [PMID: 31165474 PMCID: PMC6851849 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Parasites are a major component of all animal populations. Males and females often differ in their levels of parasite prevalence, potentially leading to sex differences in the impact of parasitism on fitness, with important implications for the evolution of parasite and host traits including resistance, tolerance, and virulence. However, quantitative measures of the impact of parasitism under free‐living conditions are extremely rare, as they require detailed host demographic data with measures of parasite burden over time. Here, we use endoscopy for direct quantification of natural‐parasite burdens and relate these to reproductive success over 7 yr in a wild population of seabirds. Contrary to predictions, only female burdens were associated with negative impacts of parasitism on breeding success, despite males having significantly higher burdens. Female reproductive success declined by 30% across the range of natural parasite burdens. These effects persisted when accounting for interannual population differences in breeding success. Our results provide quantitative estimates of profound sub‐lethal effects of parasitism on the population. Importantly, they highlight how parasites act unpredictably to shape ecological and evolutionary processes in different components of the same population, with implications for demography and selection on host and parasite traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Hicks
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Nicholson Building, Liverpool, L69 3BX, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan A Green
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Nicholson Building, Liverpool, L69 3BX, United Kingdom
| | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, United Kingdom
| | - Emma J A Cunningham
- School of Biology, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JT, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Newell
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Butler
- Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, James Clerk Maxwell Building, The King's Buildings, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah J Burthe
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Nørgaard LS, Phillips BL, Hall MD. Can pathogens optimize both transmission and dispersal by exploiting sexual dimorphism in their hosts? Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190180. [PMID: 31213141 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogens often rely on their host for dispersal. Yet, maximizing fitness via replication can cause damage to the host and an associated reduction in host movement, incurring a trade-off between transmission and dispersal. Here, we test the idea that pathogens might mitigate this trade-off between reproductive fitness and dispersal by taking advantage of sexual dimorphism in their host, tailoring responses separately to males and females. Using experimental populations of Daphnia magna and its bacterial pathogen Pasteuria ramosa as a test-case, we find evidence that this pathogen can use male hosts as a dispersal vector, and the larger females as high-quality resource patches for optimized production of transmission spores. As sexual dimorphism in dispersal and body size is widespread across the animal kingdom, this differential exploitation of the sexes by a pathogen might be an unappreciated phenomenon, possibly evolved in various systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Louise Solveig Nørgaard
- 1 School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Geometric Biology, Monash University , Melbourne 3800 , Australia
| | - Ben L Phillips
- 2 Department of Biosciences, University of Melbourne , 3010 Parkville, Victoria , Australia
| | - Matthew D Hall
- 1 School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Geometric Biology, Monash University , Melbourne 3800 , Australia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Pietrzak B, Grzesiuk M, Dorosz J, Mikulski A. When males outlive females: Sex-specific effects of temperature on lifespan in a cyclic parthenogen. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:9880-9888. [PMID: 30386583 PMCID: PMC6202703 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lifespans of males and females frequently differ as a consequence of different life history strategies adopted to maximize fitness. It is well visible in cyclic parthenogens, such as water fleas of the genus Daphnia, where males appear in the population usually only for periods when receptive females are available. Moreover, even within one sex, different life history strategies and mechanisms regulating lifespan may exist. Previous studies suggested that Daphnia males may regulate their lifespan by staying in colder waters than females. We hypothesize that such behavioral mechanism should be associated with stronger reaction to low temperature-that is greater lifespan extension in males than in females. In this study, we monitored survivorship of Daphnia magna females and males of three clonal lines cultured at 16 or 20°C. The results did not provide a species-level corroboration of our hypothesis; instead, they revealed very strong intraspecific differences in the responses of male and female lifespan to temperature change. They further suggest the existence of parallel life history strategies, hypothesis whose tests would bring new insights into the ecology of males in cyclic parthenogens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Pietrzak
- Department of HydrobiologyFaculty of BiologyUniversity of Warsaw at Biological and Chemical Research CentreWarsawPoland
| | - Małgorzata Grzesiuk
- Department of HydrobiologyFaculty of BiologyUniversity of Warsaw at Biological and Chemical Research CentreWarsawPoland
| | - Julia Dorosz
- Department of HydrobiologyFaculty of BiologyUniversity of Warsaw at Biological and Chemical Research CentreWarsawPoland
| | - Andrzej Mikulski
- Department of HydrobiologyFaculty of BiologyUniversity of Warsaw at Biological and Chemical Research CentreWarsawPoland
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Gipson SAY, Hall MD. Interactions between host sex and age of exposure modify the virulence-transmission trade-off. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:428-437. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2017] [Accepted: 12/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- S. A. Y. Gipson
- School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Geometric Biology; Monash University; Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - M. D. Hall
- School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Geometric Biology; Monash University; Melbourne Vic. Australia
| |
Collapse
|