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Janjić F, Spariosu K, Radaković M, Francuski Andrić J, Beletić A, Kovačević Filipović M. Age, sex and breed effect on laboratory parameters in natural Babesia canis infection. Vet Parasitol 2024; 329:110197. [PMID: 38735268 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2024.110197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that age, breed, and sex are related to hematology, biochemistry, acute phase proteins (APPs), seroreactivity and level of parasitemia in dogs with an acute phase response (APR) due to Babesia canis infection. The study enrolled 61 privately owned dogs that naturally acquired B. canis infection. Groups were formed according to the age: young dogs less than one year, and adult dogs more than one year old. Moreover, the group of males was compared to females and purebred to mixed breed dogs. Seroreactivity was tested with immunofluorescence antibody test, level of parasitemia with real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR), hematology, and biochemistry with automatic analyzers, serum amyloid A with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, fibrinogen with heat precipitation and ceruloplasmin and paraoxonase-1 with manual spectrophotometric methods. For protein separation agarose gel electrophoresis was used. The main changes in the whole population of B. canis-infected dogs were fever, pancytopenia, and change in APPs level. One-third of young, and 96% of adult dogs were seropositive (P < 0.001). The level of parasitemia was higher in the young dogs (P < 0.001). Erythroid lineage parameters (P < 0.01), and leukocytes (P < 0.05) were lower in the young, when compared to the adult dogs. Young dogs had lower total globulins (P < 0.001), β- and γ-globulins (P < 0.001), and higher α-globulins (P = 0.022) than adult dogs. Young dogs had higher concentrations of phosphate (P = 0.003) and cholesterol (P < 0.001) and lower amylase (P = 0.014) and lipase activity (P = 0.020) than adult ones. Male dogs had lower neutrophil count than females (P = 0.035), and purebred dogs had more band neutrophils than mixed breed dogs (P = 0.004). In conclusion, dogs with natural Babesia canis infection at a young age have more severe anemia and APR including leukopenia than adults. Male and purebred dogs might also have more severe APR than females and mix-breeds, as they have more pronounced changes related to the myeloid lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Janjić
- Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy, University of Belgrade, Banatska 31b, Zemun 11080, Serbia
| | - Kristina Spariosu
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
| | - Milena Radaković
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
| | - Jelena Francuski Andrić
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
| | - Anđelo Beletić
- Genos Ltd., Glycoscience Research Laboratory, Borongajska cesta 83H, Zagreb, Croatia
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Duerwachter MA, Lewis EL, French SS, Husak JF. Sex-specific effects of immune challenges on green anole lizard metabolism. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 341:264-271. [PMID: 38213098 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Immune responses can increase survival, but they can also incur a variety of costs that may lead to phenotypic trade-offs. The nature of trade-offs between immune activity and other components of the phenotype can vary and depend on the type and magnitude of immune challenge, as well as the energetic costs of simultaneously expressing other traits. There may also be sex-specific differences in both immune activity and trade-offs, particularly with regard to energy expenditure that might differ between males and females during the breeding season. Females are generally expected to invest less in nonspecific immune responses compared to males due to differences in the allocation of resources to reproduction, which may lead to sex differences in the metabolic costs of immunity. We tested for sex-specific differences in metabolic costs of different types of immune challenges in Anolis carolinensis lizards, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection and wounding. We also tested for differences in immune prioritization by measuring bacterial killing ability (BKA). We predicted males would show a greater increase in metabolism after immune challenges, with combined immune challenges eliciting the greatest response. Furthermore, we predicted that metabolic costs would result in decreased BKA. LPS injection increased the resting metabolic rate (RMR) of males but not females. Wounding did not affect RMR of either sex. However, there was an inverse relationship between BKA and wound healing in LPS-injected lizards, suggesting dynamic tradeoffs among metabolism and components of the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erin L Lewis
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | | | - Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Alinaitwe L, Aturinda CJ, Lubega A, Kivali V, Bugeza J, Wainaina M, Richter MH, Hoona JJ, Roesel K, Mayer-Scholl A, Cook EAJ, Kankya C, Dürr S. Cross-sectional serosurvey of Leptospira species among slaughter pigs, goats, and sheep in Uganda. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012055. [PMID: 38489377 PMCID: PMC10971767 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Leptospira are a group of bacteria, including pathogenic types that cause leptospirosis. In Uganda, Leptospira exposure has been reported in humans, with domesticated animals being speculated as the source. However, comparable evidence of Leptospira prevalence and circulating serovars/serogroups in animals is only documented for cattle, and dogs. Our study determined Leptospira seroprevalence, associated risk factors and serogroups circulating among slaughtered pigs, goats, and sheep in Uganda. METHODS During an 11-month cross-sectional survey in selected slaughter facilities in three regions of Uganda, we collected blood from 926 pigs, 347 goats, and 116 sheep. The age, sex, breed, and origin of each sampled animal were noted. The samples were tested for anti-Leptospira antibodies using the microscopic agglutination test, based on a panel of 12 serovars belonging to 12 serogroups. RESULTS Leptospira seroprevalence was 26.67% (247/926, 95%CI 23.92-29.61) among pigs, and 21.81% (101/463, 95%CI 18.29-25.80) in goats and sheep (small ruminants). L. interrogans Australis and L. kirschneri Grippotyphosa were the commonest serovars among pigs, as was L. borgpetersenii Tarassovi in small ruminants. Pigs sourced from the Eastern (Odds Ratio [OR] = 2.82, 95%CI 1.84-4.30) and Northern (OR = 3.56, 95%CI 2.52-5.02) regions were more likely to be seropositive, compared to those from the Central region. For small ruminants, being female (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.69-4.57) and adult (OR 4.47, 95% CI 1.57-18.80) was significantly more associated with Leptospira seropositivity. Conclusion/significance: Detection of a moderate seroprevalence, and several Leptospira serogroups among pigs, sheep, and goats from all regions of Uganda, supports existing reports in cattle and dogs, and implies widespread Leptospira exposure in domestic animals in Uganda. These findings may inform future programs for the control of leptospirosis in livestock in Uganda.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lordrick Alinaitwe
- Human and Animal Health Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Veterinary Public Health Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Christopher Joshua Aturinda
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Ashiraf Lubega
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Velma Kivali
- Human and Animal Health Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - James Bugeza
- Human and Animal Health Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Vaccinology Research Program, National Livestock Resources Research Institute, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Martin Wainaina
- Department of Biological Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin H. Richter
- Department of Biological Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jolly Justine Hoona
- Department of Animal Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Kristina Roesel
- Human and Animal Health Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Anne Mayer-Scholl
- Department of Biological Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Clovice Kankya
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Salome Dürr
- Veterinary Public Health Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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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.
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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
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Revathi Venkateswaran V, Gokhale CS, Mangel M, Eliassen S. Effects of time spent in pregnancy or brooding on immunocompetence. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10764. [PMID: 38187919 PMCID: PMC10767163 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Sexes of a species may show different characteristics beyond the differences in their sexual organs and such sexual dimorphism often occurs in the level of immune response when exposed to pathogens (immunocompetence). In general, females have increased longevity relative to males, which is associated with higher immunocompetence. However, males have higher immunocompetence in some species, such as pipefishes and seahorses. Experimental evidence suggests that this could be because males, rather than females, carry fertilized eggs to birth in these species. This observation suggests that an increase in immunocompetence may be related to the level of parental investment and not to a particular sex. We use state-dependent life-history theory to study optimal investment in offspring production relative to parent immunocompetence, varying the relative time that a parent spends in brooding or pregnancy within a breeding cycle. When offspring is dependent on a parent's survival for a large part of the breeding cycle, we predict higher investments in immunity and longer life expectancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Revathi Venkateswaran
- Research Group for Theoretical Models of Eco‐evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Evolutionary TheoryMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
- Department of Plant Biology, School of Integrative BiologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Chaitanya S. Gokhale
- Research Group for Theoretical Models of Eco‐evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Evolutionary TheoryMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
| | - Marc Mangel
- Institute of Marine Sciences and Department of Applied MathematicsUniversity of CaliforniaSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
- Theoretical Ecology Group, Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | - Sigrunn Eliassen
- Theoretical Ecology Group, Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
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Sauer EL, Connelly C, Perrine W, Love AC, DuRant SE. Male pathology regardless of behaviour drives transmission in an avian host-pathogen system. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:36-44. [PMID: 38044497 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14026] [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: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Host sex is an important source of heterogeneity in the severity of epidemics. Pinpointing the mechanisms causing this heterogeneity can be difficult because differences in behaviour among sexes (e.g. greater territorial aggression in males) can bias exposure risk, obfuscating the role of immune function, which can lead to differences in pathology, in driving differential susceptibility between sexes. Thus, sex-biased transmission driven by differences in immune function independent of behaviour is poorly understood, especially in non-mammalian systems. Here we examine the previously unexplored potential for male-biased pathology to affect transmission using an avian host-pathogen system. We employ a sex-dependent multistate transmission model parameterized with isolated, individual-based experimental exposures of domestic canaries and experimental transmission data of house finches. The experiment revealed that male birds have shorter incubation periods, longer recovery periods, higher pathogen burdens and greater disease pathology than females. Our model revealed that male-biased pathology led to epidemic size rapidly increasing with the proportion of male birds, with a nearly 10-fold increase in total epidemic size from an all-female to an all-male simulation. Our results demonstrate that female-biased resistance, independent of male behaviour, can drive sex-dependent transmission in wildlife, indicating that sex-based differences in immune function, not just differences in exposure risk, can shape epidemic dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin L Sauer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
| | - Chloe Connelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
| | - Weston Perrine
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
| | - Ashely C Love
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sarah E DuRant
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
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Kabpha A, Phonsiri K, Pasomboon P, Boonanuntanasarn S. Effects of dietary supplementation of estradiol-17β during fry stage on growth, physiological and immune parameters and gonadal gene expression in adult snakeskin gourami. Animal 2023; 17:100950. [PMID: 37660411 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2023.100950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In snakeskin gourami (Trichopodus pectoralis), females are generally larger than males, and estradiol-17β (E2)-sex reversal to produce female monosex has gained interest in this species. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of E2-induced sex reversal on growth, physiological and immune parameters, and gonadal gene expression in adult snakeskin gourami. Fry (7 days posthatching) were divided into different experimental groups based on the dose of E2: control (no E2 (0 mg kg-1) supplementation), E2-100 (100 mg kg-1), E2-200 (200 mg kg-1), and E2-300 (300 mg kg-1), fed with the E2 doses for 90 d and cultured for 11 months (adult stage). The findings revealed that E2 supplementation produced 88.89-100% of female population. After 11 months of culture, the effects of sexual dimorphism on the growth performance of the E2-100 group were not significant compared to that on the growth performance of the control male and female groups; however, it improved significantly in the E2-200 and E2-300 groups (P < 0.05). E2 elevated the CP and fat contents in body in E2-200 and E2-300 groups (P < 0.05) compared to that in the control group. No sex differences in blood metabolites, haematological values, or immune parameters were identified. Nevertheless, E2-200 and E2-300 groups showed increased blood glucose, triglyceride, haemoglobin, and total immunoglobulin (P < 0.05) compared to control male fish. In addition, all concentrations of E2 increased alternative complement 50 (P < 0.05). Several genes, including bHLH, cyp19a1, daz, deadend, esrb, esrrg, gnrhr, gpa, gsg1l, hsd17β, mospd1, nanos2, p53, piwi2, rerg, rps6ka, tgfb, and vgr, showed differential expression between testis and ovary in control female and E2-treated groups. The expression patterns of the genes were similar in the ovary of the control female and E2-200-treated fish. In conclusion, the findings demonstrate that a feminisation duration of 7-97 days and two doses of E2 at 200 or 300 mg kg-1 successfully produced all-female stocks in snakeskin gourami. Furthermore, the findings showed that E2-treated females were maintained throughout adulthood and exhibited several superior characteristics to male fish. Together with the information generated on differentially expressed sex-related genes, these findings could enable the culturing of faster-growing sex to increase productivity and contribute to the development of intensive snakeskin gourami farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kabpha
- School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Muang, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
| | - K Phonsiri
- School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Muang, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
| | - P Pasomboon
- School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Muang, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
| | - S Boonanuntanasarn
- School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Muang, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand.
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Nimra S, Kayani AR, Irfan M, Ahmed MS. Seasonal Changes in Hematological Parameters in House Sparrows of Subtropical Pakistan. Integr Org Biol 2023; 5:obad027. [PMID: 37549037 PMCID: PMC10399915 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obad027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
House sparrow is a globally adaptive bird. The way this creature adapted to all areas of the world, having different selection pressures, is interesting to understand. The present study is focused on seasonal changes, having different selection pressures and how it is adapted to these changes and whether hematological flexibility plays a role in this success. House sparrow's adaptations in the same area, during different seasons, have been studied in a sub-tropical area, Potohar, Pakistan. We used hematological parameter analysis for this purpose. Blood samples were collected from Sparrows in winter, spring, and summer and analyzed for some hematological parameters. White blood cells (WBCs) were higher in spring and summer which may relate to mating promiscuity. Sparrows were more stressed in summer. The Red blood cells (RBCs) and hematocrit (Hct) were greater in summer. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is lower in summer. This may have an adaptation to cope with high stress in summer as small-size RBCs increase gaseous exchange. Platelets were not affected by season or gender. Mean corpuscular volume and Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) are positively correlated with each other. Red blood cells, hemoglobin (Hb) and MCV were higher in males during the spring season perhaps as an adaptation to energetic activities during spring like mating calls and search for nesting sites. White blood cells remained the same in both genders in summer and winter, and effected in spring may be related to the mating system. Behavioral state is linked with physiological states that shows tradeoff and life history traits. This study is a small effort to know this incredible species. We can work further in different parts of the world to explore different aspects of it.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A R Kayani
- Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - M Irfan
- Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - M S Ahmed
- University Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
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Wild KH, Roe JH, Schwanz L, Rodgers E, Dissanayake DSB, Georges A, Sarre SD, Noble DWA. Metabolic consequences of sex reversal in two lizard species: a test of the like-genotype and like-phenotype hypotheses. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245657. [PMID: 37309620 PMCID: PMC10357012 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Vertebrate sex is typically determined genetically, but in many ectotherms sex can be determined by genes (genetic sex determination, GSD), temperature (temperature-dependent sex determination, TSD), or interactions between genes and temperature during development. TSD may involve GSD systems with either male or female heterogamety (XX/XY or ZZ/ZW) where temperature overrides chromosomal sex determination to cause a mismatch between genetic sex and phenotypic sex (sex reversal). In these temperature-sensitive lineages, phylogenetic investigations point to recurrent evolutionary shifts between genotypic and temperature-dependent sex determination. These evolutionary transitions in sex determination can occur rapidly if selection favours the reversed sex over the concordant phenotypic sex. To investigate the consequences of sex reversal on offspring phenotypes, we measured two energy-driven traits (metabolism and growth) and 6 month survival in two species of reptile with different patterns of temperature-induced sex reversal. Male sex reversal occurs in Bassiana duperreyi when chromosomal females (female XX) develop male phenotypes (maleSR XX), while female sex reversal occurs in Pogona vitticeps when chromosomal males (male ZZ) develop female phenotypes (femaleSR ZZ). We show metabolism in maleSR XX was like that of male XY; that is, reflective of phenotypic sex and lower than genotypic sex. In contrast, for Pogona vitticeps, femaleSR ZZ metabolism was intermediate between male ZZ and female ZW metabolic rate. For both species, our data indicate that differences in metabolism become more apparent as individuals become larger. Our findings provide some evidence for an energetic advantage from sex reversal in both species but do not exclude energetic processes as a constraint on the distribution of sex reversal in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristoffer H. Wild
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AUS
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - John H. Roe
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510, USA
| | - Lisa Schwanz
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Essie Rodgers
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Duminda S. B. Dissanayake
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - Arthur Georges
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - Stephen D. Sarre
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - Daniel W. A. Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AUS
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Mullins LR, Brown DJ, Lovsey SR, Bowers TA, Gershman SN. Roundup and immune challenge have different effects on a native field cricket and its introduced competitor. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-27866-6. [PMID: 37284949 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27866-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Animals face many natural challenges, and humans have added to this burden by applying potentially harmful herbicides and unintentionally introducing competitors. We examine the recently introduced Velarifictorus micado Japanese burrowing cricket which shares the same microhabitat and mating season as the native Gryllus pennsylvanicus field cricket. In this study, we assess the combined effects of Roundup (glyphosate-based herbicide) and a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) immune challenge on both crickets. In both species, an immune challenge reduced the numbers of eggs that the female laid; however, this effect was much larger in G. pennsylvanicus. Conversely, Roundup caused both species to increase egg production, potentially representing a terminal investment strategy. When exposed to both an immune challenge and herbicide, G. pennsylvanicus fecundity was harmed more than V. micado fecundity. Furthermore, V. micado females laid significantly more eggs than G. pennsylvanicus, suggesting that introduced V. micado may have a competitive edge in fecundity over native G. pennsylvanicus. LPS and Roundup each had differing effects on male G. pennsylvanicus and V. micado calling effort. Overall, introduced male V. micado spent significantly more time calling than native G. pennsylvanicus, which could potentially facilitate the spread of this introduced species. Despite the population-level spread of introduced V. micado, in our study, this species did not outperform native G. pennsylvanicus in tolerating immune and chemical challenge. Although V. micado appears to possess traits that make this introduced species successful in colonizing new habitats, it may be less successful in traits that would allow it to outcompete a native species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia R Mullins
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Dylan J Brown
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1465 Mount Vernon Ave, Marion, OH, 43302, USA
| | - Shelly R Lovsey
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1465 Mount Vernon Ave, Marion, OH, 43302, USA
| | - Troy A Bowers
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Susan N Gershman
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1465 Mount Vernon Ave, Marion, OH, 43302, USA.
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Amaro-Sánchez T, Ruiz-Guzmán G, Hernández-Martínez S, Krams I, Rantala MJ, Contreras-Garduño J. Effect of juvenile hormone on phenoloxidase and hemocyte number: The role of age, sex, and immune challenge. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2023; 265:110827. [PMID: 36610635 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2023.110827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Hormones are key factors in determining the response of organisms to their environment. For example, the juvenile hormone (JH) coordinates the insects' development, reproduction, and survival. However, it is still unclear how the impact of juvenile hormone on insect immunity varies depending on the sex and reproductive state of the individual, as well as the type of the immune challenge (i.e., Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria). We used Tenebrio molitor and methoprene, a JH analog (JHa) to explore these relationships. We tested the effect of methoprene on phenoloxidase activity (PO), an important component of humoral immunity in insects, and hemocyte number. Lyophilized Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus or Gram-negative Escherichia coli were injected for the immune challenge. The results suggest that JH did not affect the proPO, PO activity, or hemocyte number of larvae. JH and immune challenge affected the immune response and consequently, affected adult developmental stage and sex. We propose that the influence of JH on the immune response depends on age, sex, the immune response parameter, and the immune challenge, which may explain the contrasting results about the role of JH in the insect immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Amaro-Sánchez
- Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Campus Guanajuato, Noria Alta s/n, Colonia Noria Alta, 36050 Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Gloria Ruiz-Guzmán
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro No.8701, Col. Ex-Hacienda San José de la Huerta, 58190 Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
| | - Salvador Hernández-Martínez
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, 62300 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Indrikis Krams
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia; Department of Biotechnology, Daugavpils University, Daugavpils 5401, Latvia; Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Riga 1004, Latvia
| | - Markus J Rantala
- Department of Biology & Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jorge Contreras-Garduño
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro No.8701, Col. Ex-Hacienda San José de la Huerta, 58190 Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
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12
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Liu Y, Li X, Lin L. Transcriptome of the pygmy grasshopper Formosatettix qinlingensis (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae). PeerJ 2023; 11:e15123. [PMID: 37016680 PMCID: PMC10066883 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15123] [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: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Formosatettix qinlingensis (Zheng, 1982) is a tiny grasshopper endemic to Qinling in China. For further study of its transcriptomic features, we obtained RNA-Seq data by Illumina HiSeq X Ten sequencing platform. Firstly, transcriptomic analysis showed that transcriptome read numbers of two female and one male samples were 25,043,314, 24,429,905, and 25,034,457, respectively. We assembled 65,977 unigenes, their average length was 1,072.09 bp, and the length of N50 was 2,031 bp. The average lengths of F. qinlingensis female and male unigenes were 911.30 bp, and 941.82 bp, and the N50 lengths were 1,745 bp and 1,735 bp, respectively. Eight databases were used to annotate the functions of unigenes, and 23,268 functional unigenes were obtained. Besides, we also studied the body color, immunity and insecticide resistance of F. qinlingensis. Thirty-nine pigment-related genes were annotated. Some immunity genes and signaling pathways were found, such as JAK-STAT and Toll-LIKE receptor signaling pathways. There are also some insecticide resistance genes and signal pathways, like nAChR, GST and DDT. Further, some of these genes were differentially expressed in female and male samples, including pigment, immunity and insecticide resistance. The transcriptomic study of F. qinlingensis will provide data reference for gene prediction and molecular expression study of other Tetrigidae species in the future. Differential genetic screening of males and females provides a basis for studying sex and immune balance in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Liu
- Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
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13
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Kailing MJ, Hoyt JR, White JP, Kaarakka HM, Redell JA, Leon AE, Rocke TE, DePue JE, Scullon WH, Parise KL, Foster JT, Kilpatrick AM, Langwig KE. Sex-biased infections scale to population impacts for an emerging wildlife disease. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230040. [PMID: 36946110 PMCID: PMC10031401 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Demographic factors are fundamental in shaping infectious disease dynamics. Aspects of populations that create structure, like age and sex, can affect patterns of transmission, infection intensity and population outcomes. However, studies rarely link these processes from individual to population-scale effects. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying demographic differences in disease are frequently unclear. Here, we explore sex-biased infections for a multi-host fungal disease of bats, white-nose syndrome, and link disease-associated mortality between sexes, the distortion of sex ratios and the potential mechanisms underlying sex differences in infection. We collected data on host traits, infection intensity and survival of five bat species at 42 sites across seven years. We found females were more infected than males for all five species. Females also had lower apparent survival over winter and accounted for a smaller proportion of populations over time. Notably, female-biased infections were evident by early hibernation and likely driven by sex-based differences in autumn mating behaviour. Male bats were more active during autumn which likely reduced replication of the cool-growing fungus. Higher disease impacts in female bats may have cascading effects on bat populations beyond the hibernation season by limiting recruitment and increasing the risk of Allee effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Macy J Kailing
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Joseph R Hoyt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - J Paul White
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI 53707, USA
| | | | | | - Ariel E Leon
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Tonie E Rocke
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - John E DePue
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Baraga, MI 49908, USA
| | | | - Katy L Parise
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Foster
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - A Marm Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Kate E Langwig
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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14
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Bronikowski AM, Hedrick AR, Kutz GA, Holden KG, Reinke B, Iverson JB. Sex-specific innate immunity and ageing in long-lived fresh water turtles (Kinosternon flavescens: Kinosternidae). Immun Ageing 2023; 20:11. [PMID: 36894996 PMCID: PMC9997018 DOI: 10.1186/s12979-023-00335-x] [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: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The progressive deregulation of the immune system with age, termed immunosenescence, has been well studied in mammalian systems, but studies of immune function in long-lived, wild, non-mammalian populations are scarce. In this study we leverage a 38-year mark-recapture study to quantify the relationships among age, sex, survival, reproductive output and the innate immune system in a long-lived reptile, yellow mud turtles (Kinosternon flavescens; Testudines; Kinosternidae). METHODS We estimated rates of survival and age-specific mortality by sex based on mark-recapture data for 1530 adult females and 860 adult males over 38 years of captures. We analyzed bactericidal competence (BC), and two immune responses to foreign red blood cells - natural antibody-mediated haemagglutination (NAbs), and complement-mediated haemolysis ability (Lys) - in 200 adults (102 females; 98 males) that ranged from 7 to 58 years of age captured in May 2018 during their emergence from brumation, and for which reproductive output and long-term mark-recapture data were available. RESULTS We found that females are smaller and live longer than males in this population, but the rate of accelerating mortality across adulthood is the same for both sexes. In contrast, males exhibited higher innate immunity than females for all three immune variables we measured. All immune responses also varied inversely with age, indicating immunosenescence. For females that reproduced in the preceding reproductive season, egg mass (and therefore total clutch mass) increased with age,. In addition to immunosenescence of bactericidal competence, females that produced smaller clutches also had lower bactericidal competence. CONCLUSIONS Contrary to the general vertebrate pattern of lower immune responses in males than females (possibly reflecting the suppressive effects of androgens), we found higher levels of all three immune variables in males. In addition, contrary to previous work that found no evidence of immunosenescence in painted turtles or red-eared slider turtles, we found a decrease in bactericidal competence, lysis ability, and natural antibodies with age in yellow mud turtles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne M Bronikowski
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA. .,Department of Integrative Biology, Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, 3700 E. Gull Lake Rd., Hickory Corners, MI, 49060, USA.
| | - Ashley R Hedrick
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Greta A Kutz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Kaitlyn G Holden
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Beth Reinke
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL, 60625, USA
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, 47374, USA.
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15
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Kutzer MAM, Gupta V, Neophytou K, Doublet V, Monteith KM, Vale PF. Intraspecific genetic variation in host vigour, viral load and disease tolerance during Drosophila C virus infection. Open Biol 2023; 13:230025. [PMID: 36854375 PMCID: PMC9974301 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.230025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation for resistance and disease tolerance has been described in a range of species. In Drosophila melanogaster, genetic variation in mortality following systemic Drosophila C virus (DCV) infection is driven by large-effect polymorphisms in the restriction factor pastrel (pst). However, it is unclear if pst contributes to disease tolerance. We investigated systemic DCV challenges spanning nine orders of magnitude, in males and females of 10 Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel lines carrying either a susceptible (S) or resistant (R) pst allele. We find among-line variation in fly survival, viral load and disease tolerance measured both as the ability to maintain survival (mortality tolerance) and reproduction (fecundity tolerance). We further uncover novel effects of pst on host vigour, as flies carrying the R allele exhibited higher survival and fecundity even in the absence of infection. Finally, we found significant genetic variation in the expression of the JAK-STAT ligand upd3 and the epigenetic regulator of JAK-STAT G9a. However, while G9a has been previously shown to mediate tolerance of DCV infection, we found no correlation between the expression of either upd3 or G9a on fly tolerance or resistance. Our work highlights the importance of both resistance and tolerance in viral defence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan A. M. Kutzer
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Vanika Gupta
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kyriaki Neophytou
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Vincent Doublet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Katy M. Monteith
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Pedro F. Vale
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
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16
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Roberts KE, Longdon B. Heterogeneities in infection outcomes across species: sex and tissue differences in virus susceptibility. PEER COMMUNITY JOURNAL 2023; 3:pcjournal.242. [PMID: 36811030 PMCID: PMC7614206 DOI: 10.24072/pcjournal.242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Species vary in their susceptibility to pathogens, and this can alter the ability of a pathogen to infect a novel host. However, many factors can generate heterogeneity in infection outcomes, obscuring our ability to understand pathogen emergence. Such heterogeneities can alter the consistency of responses across individuals and host species. For example, sexual dimorphism in susceptibility means males are often intrinsically more susceptible than females (although this can vary by host and pathogen). Further, we know little about whether the tissues infected by a pathogen in one host are the same in another species, and how this relates to the harm a pathogen does to its host. Here, we first take a comparative approach to examine sex differences in susceptibility across 31 species of Drosophilidae infected with Drosophila C Virus (DCV). We found a strong positive inter-specific correlation in viral load between males and females, with a close to 1:1 relationship, suggesting that susceptibility to DCV across species is not sex specific. Next, we made comparisons of the tissue tropism of DCV across seven species of fly. We found differences in viral load between the tissues of the seven host species, but no evidence of tissues showing different patterns of susceptibility in different host species. We conclude that, in this system, patterns of viral infectivity across host species are robust between males and females, and susceptibility in a given host is general across tissue types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Roberts
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Ben Longdon
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, TR10 9FE, UK,corresponding author
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17
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Field EK, Hartzheim A, Terry J, Dawson G, Haydt N, Neuman-Lee LA. Reptilian Innate Immunology and Ecoimmunology: What Do We Know and Where Are We Going? Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:1557-1571. [PMID: 35833292 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Reptiles, the only ectothermic amniotes, employ a wide variety of physiological adaptations to adjust to their environments but remain vastly understudied in the field of immunology and ecoimmunology in comparison to other vertebrate taxa. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed the current state of research on reptilian innate immunology by conducting an extensive literature search of peer-reviewed articles published across the four orders of Reptilia (Crocodilia, Testudines, Squamata, and Rhynchocephalia). Using our compiled dataset, we investigated common techniques, characterization of immune components, differences in findings and type of research among the four orders, and immune responses to ecological and life-history variables. We found that there are differences in the types of questions asked and approaches used for each of these reptilian orders. The different conceptual frameworks applied to each group has led to a lack of unified understanding of reptilian immunological strategies, which, in turn, have resulted in large conceptual gaps in the field of ecoimmunology as a whole. To apply ecoimmunological concepts and techniques most effectively to reptiles, we must combine traditional immunological studies with ecoimmunological studies to continue to identify, characterize, and describe the reptilian immune components and responses. This review highlights the advances and gaps that remain to help identify targeted and cohesive approaches for future research in reptilian ecoimmunological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Field
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | - Alyssa Hartzheim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | - Jennifer Terry
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | - Grant Dawson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | - Natalie Haydt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | - Lorin A Neuman-Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
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18
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McCombe PA, Hardy TA, Nona RJ, Greer JM. Sex differences in Guillain Barré syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy and experimental autoimmune neuritis. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1038411. [PMID: 36569912 PMCID: PMC9780466 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1038411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS) and its variants, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP and its variants, are regarded as immune mediated neuropathies. Unlike in many autoimmune disorders, GBS and CIDP are more common in males than females. Sex is not a clear predictor of outcome. Experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) is an animal model of these diseases, but there are no studies of the effects of sex in EAN. The pathogenesis of GBS and CIDP involves immune response to non-protein antigens, antigen presentation through non-conventional T cells and, in CIDP with nodopathy, IgG4 antibody responses to antigens. There are some reported sex differences in some of these elements of the immune system and we speculate that these sex differences could contribute to the male predominance of these diseases, and suggest that sex differences in peripheral nerves is a topic worthy of further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela A. McCombe
- Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia,*Correspondence: Pamela A. McCombe,
| | - Todd A. Hardy
- Department of Neurology, Concord Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia,Brain & Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Robert J. Nona
- Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Judith M. Greer
- Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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19
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Ahlawat N, Geeta Arun M, Maggu K, Jigisha, Singh A, Prasad NG. Drosophila melanogaster hosts coevolving with Pseudomonas entomophila pathogen show sex-specific patterns of local adaptation. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:77. [PMID: 35717176 PMCID: PMC9206745 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02031-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In spatially structured populations, local adaptation improves organisms’ fitness in their native environment. Hosts and pathogens can rapidly adapt to their local antagonist. Since males and females can differ in their immunocompetence, the patterns of local adaptation can be different between the sexes. However, there is little information about sex differences in local adaptation in host–pathogen systems. Results In the current study, we experimentally coevolved four different replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster (host) and Pseudomonas entomophila (pathogen) along with appropriate controls. We used the four host–pathogen coevolution populations to investigate the occurrence of local adaptation separately in males and females of the coevolving hosts. We also assessed local adaptation in pathogens. We set up a reciprocal infection experiment where we infected each of the four coevolving hosts with their local pathogen or non-local pathogens from the other three replicate populations. We found that overall, male and female hosts had better survivorship when infected with local pathogens, indicating that they were locally adapted. Interestingly, males were more susceptible to non-local pathogens compared to females. In addition, we found no fecundity cost in females infected with either local or non-local pathogens. We found no evidence of local adaptation among the pathogens. Conclusion Our study showed sex-specific adaptation in the coevolving hosts where female hosts had a broader response against allopatric coevolving pathogens with no cost in fecundity. Thus, our results might suggest a novel mechanism that can maintain variation in susceptibility in spatially structured populations. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-022-02031-8.
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20
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Winkler L, Janicke T. Diet quality impairs male and female reproductive performance and affects the opportunity for selection in an insect model. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9533. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tim Janicke
- Applied Zoology TU Dresden Dresden Germany
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRD Montpellier Cedex 05 France
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21
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McNew SM, Loyola DC, Yepez J, Andreadis C, Gotanda K, Saulsberry A, Fessl B. Transcriptomic responses of Galápagos finches to avian poxvirus infection. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5552-5567. [PMID: 36086992 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Emerging pathogens can have devastating effects on naïve hosts, but disease outcomes often vary among host species. Comparing the cellular response of different hosts to infection can provide insight into mechanisms of host defence. Here, we used RNA-seq to characterize the transcriptomic response of Darwin's finches to avian poxvirus, a disease of concern in the Galápagos Islands. We tested whether gene expression differs between infected and uninfected birds, and whether transcriptomic differences were related either to known antiviral mechanisms and/or the co-option of the host cellular environment by the virus. We compared two species, the medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis) and the vegetarian finch (Platyspiza crassirostris), to determine whether endemic Galápagos species differ in their response to pox. We found that medium ground finches had a strong transcriptomic response to infection, upregulating genes involved in the innate immune response including interferon production, inflammation, and other immune signalling pathways. In contrast, vegetarian finches had a more limited response, and some changes in this species were consistent with viral manipulation of the host's cellular function and metabolism. Many of the transcriptomic changes mirrored responses documented in model and in vitro studies of poxviruses. Our results thus indicate that many pathways of host defence against poxviruses are conserved among vertebrates and present even in hosts without a long evolutionary history with the virus. At the same time, the differences we observed between closely related species suggests that some endemic species of Galápagos finch could be more susceptible to avian pox than others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina M McNew
- Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | | | - Janaí Yepez
- Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador
| | - Catherine Andreadis
- Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Kiyoko Gotanda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Birgit Fessl
- Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador
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22
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Sex as a risk factor for occurrence and severity of infectious and parasitic diseases in dogs: Protocol for a systematic review. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275578. [PMID: 36282817 PMCID: PMC9595549 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological sex is an important risk factor for the occurrence and severity of infectious and parasitic diseases. Although various studies and reviews have described sex differences in infectious diseases of humans, wildlife and laboratory animals, there has been little focus on biological sex as a risk factor for infectious and parasitic diseases of domestic animals. We aim to identify and synthesise evidence in dogs for the hypothesis that biological sex and gonadectomy status are determinants of occurrence and severity of disease across taxa of pathogens. This systematic review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We will search Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed for peer-reviewed studies published in English from database inception through 2021. All study designs for infectious and parasitic diseases of dogs will be included. This review will include the outcomes prevalence or incidence of infection or disease; and severity of disease as measured by case-fatality, time to death or recovery, hospitalisation time, pathogen burden (e.g. viral load or parasitaemia) or relevant clinicopathological parameters. Two reviewers will jointly assess the first 500 records from all three databases. Subsequently, one reviewer will screen the remaining records, and then the second reviewer will verify all records excluded by the first reviewer. Full-texts of all included records will be retrieved and assessed for eligibility by the first review author, and then the second author will review those records excluded by the first author. The risk of bias in individual studies will be assessed using the Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Nonrandomized Studies. We will synthesise the information from the studies and present this as a narrative in the text. The findings will be presented by outcome type and also grouped by pathogen type. Evidence on sex-specific effects will expand our understanding of infectious disease pathogenesis and underlying mechanisms, and this may be of importance in implementation of disease control interventions.
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23
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Corbally MK, Regan JC. Fly immunity comes of age: The utility of Drosophila as a model for studying variation in immunosenescence. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2022; 3:1016962. [PMID: 36268532 PMCID: PMC9576847 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2022.1016962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Brown CM, Wong Q, Thakur A, Singh K, Singh RS. Origin of Sex-Biased Mental Disorders: Do Males and Females Experience Different Selective Regimes? J Mol Evol 2022; 90:401-417. [PMID: 36097083 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-022-10072-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The origins of sex-biased differences in disease and health are of growing interest to both medical researchers and health professionals. Several major factors have been identified that affect sex differences in incidence of diseases and mental disorders. These are: sex chromosomes, sex hormones and female immunity, sexual selection and antagonistic evolution, and differential susceptibility of sexes to environmental factors. These factors work on different time scales and are not exclusive of each other. Recently, a combined Sexual Selection-Sex Hormones (SS-SH) Theory was presented as an evolutionary mechanism to explain sex-biased differences in diseases and mental disorders (Singh in J Mol Evol 89:195-213, 2021). In that paper disease prevalence trends were investigated, and non-sex-specific diseases were hypothesized to be more common in males than in females in general. They showed signs of exceptions to this trend with inflammatory diseases and stress-related mental disorders that were more common in females. We believe that the SS-SH theory requires the consideration of psycho-social stress (PSS) to explain the predominance of female-biased mental disorders and some other exceptions in their findings. Here we present a theory of sex-differential experience of PSS and provide quantitative support for the combined SS-SH-PSS Theory using age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) recording the levels of male- and female-bias in data obtained from different countries. The grand theory provides an evolutionary framework for explaining patterns of sex-biased trends in the prevalence of disease and health. Further exploration of women's vulnerability to social factors may help to facilitate new treatments for female-biased diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Queenie Wong
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Aditi Thakur
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Karun Singh
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network and Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rama S Singh
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
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Romano V, Lussiana A, Monteith KM, MacIntosh AJJ, Vale PF. Host genetics and pathogen species modulate infection-induced changes in social aggregation behaviour. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220233. [PMID: 36043302 PMCID: PMC9428545 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0233] [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] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying how infection modifies host behaviours that determine social contact networks is important for understanding heterogeneity in infectious disease dynamics. Here, we investigate whether group social behaviour is modified during bacterial infection in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) according to pathogen species, infectious dose, host genetic background and sex. In one experiment, we find that systemic infection with four different bacterial species results in a reduction in the mean pairwise distance within infected female flies, and that the extent of this change depends on pathogen species. However, susceptible flies did not show any evidence of avoidance in the presence of infected flies. In a separate experiment, we observed genetic- and sex-based variation in social aggregation within infected, same-sex groups, with infected female flies aggregating more closely than infected males. In general, our results confirm that bacterial infection induces changes in fruit fly behaviour across a range of pathogen species, but also highlight that these effects vary between fly genetic backgrounds and can be sex-specific. We discuss possible explanations for sex differences in social aggregation and their consequences for individual variation in pathogen transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valéria Romano
- IMBE, Aix Marseille Univ., Avignon Univ., CNRS, IRD, Marseille, France.,Kyoto University Wildlife Research Center, Japan
| | - Amy Lussiana
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Katy M Monteith
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Pedro F Vale
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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26
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Bichet C, Régis C, Gilot-Fromont E, Cohas A. Variations in immune parameters with age in a wild rodent population and links with survival. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9094. [PMID: 35845372 PMCID: PMC9273568 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9094] [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: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent findings suggest that immune functions do not unidirectionally deteriorate with age but that a potentially adaptive remodeling, where functions of the immune system get downregulated while others get upregulated with age could also occur. Scarce in wild populations, longitudinal studies are yet necessary to properly understand the patterns and consequences of age variations of the immune system in the wild. Meanwhile, it is challenging to understand if the observed variations in immune parameters with age are due to changes at the within‐individual level or to selective (dis)appearance of individuals with peculiar immune phenotypes. Thanks to a long‐term and longitudinal monitoring of a wild Alpine marmot population, we aimed to understand within‐ and between‐individual variation in the immune phenotype with age, in order to improve our knowledge about the occurrence and the evolutionary consequences of such age variations in the wild. To do so, we recorded the age‐specific leukocyte concentration and leukocyte profile in repeatedly sampled dominant individuals. We then tested whether the potential changes with age were attributable to within‐individual variations and/or selective (dis)appearance. Finally, we investigated if the leukocyte concentration and profiles were correlated to the probability of death at a given age. The leukocyte concentration was stable with age, but the relative number of lymphocytes decreased, while the relative number of neutrophils increased, over the course of an individual's life. Moreover, between individuals of the same age, individuals with fewer lymphocytes but more neutrophils were more likely to die. Therefore, selective disappearance seems to play a role in the age variations of the immune parameters in this population. Further investigations linking age variations in immune phenotype to individual fitness are needed to understand whether remodeling of the immune system with age could or could not be adaptive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coraline Bichet
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé CNRS-La Rochelle Université Villiers-en-Bois France.,Institut für Vogelforschung "Vogelwarte Helgoland" (Institute of Avian Research) Wilhelmshaven Germany.,UMR-CNRS 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Villeurbanne France
| | - Corinne Régis
- UMR-CNRS 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Villeurbanne France
| | - Emmanuelle Gilot-Fromont
- UMR-CNRS 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Villeurbanne France.,Université de Lyon, VetAgro Sup Marcy-l'Etoile France
| | - Aurélie Cohas
- UMR-CNRS 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Villeurbanne France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) Paris France
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27
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Letendre C, Duffield KR, Sadd BM, Sakaluk SK, House CM, Hunt J. Genetic covariance in immune measures and pathogen resistance in decorated crickets is sex and pathogen specific. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1471-1488. [PMID: 35470433 PMCID: PMC9545791 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13709] [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: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Insects are important models for studying immunity in an ecological and evolutionary context. Yet, most empirical work on the insect immune system has come from phenotypic studies meaning we have a limited understanding of the genetic architecture of immune function in the sexes. We use nine highly inbred lines to thoroughly examine the genetic relationships between a suite of commonly used immune assays (haemocyte count, implant encapsulation, total phenoloxidase activity, antibacterial zone of inhibition and pathogen clearance) and resistance to infection by three generalist insect pathogens (the gram‐negative bacterium Serratia marcescens, the gram‐positive bacterium Bacillus cereus and the fungus Metarhizium robertsii) in male and female Gryllodes sigillatus. There were consistent positive genetic correlations between haemocyte count, antibacterial and phenoloxidase activity and resistance to S. marcescens in both sexes, but these relationships were less consistent for resistance to B. cereus and M. robertsii. In addition, the clearance of S. marcescens was genetically correlated with the resistance to all three pathogens in both sexes. Genetic correlations between resistances to the different pathogen species were inconsistent, indicating that resistance to one pathogen does not necessarily mean resistance to another. Finally, while there is ample genetic (co)variance in immune assays and pathogen resistance, these genetic estimates differed across the sexes and many of these measures were not genetically correlated across the sexes, suggesting that these measures could evolve independently in the sexes. Our finding that the genetic architecture of immune function is sex and pathogen specific suggests that the evolution of immune function in male and female G. sigillatus is likely to be complex. Similar quantitative genetic studies that measure a large number of assays and resistance to multiple pathogens in both sexes are needed to ascertain if this complexity extends to other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinne Letendre
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Locked Bag 1797, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kristin R Duffield
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, United States of America.,Crop Bioprotection Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL, United States of America
| | - Ben M Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Scott K Sakaluk
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Clarissa M House
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Locked Bag 1797, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John Hunt
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Locked Bag 1797, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Tremough Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
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28
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McCombe PA. The role of sex and pregnancy in multiple sclerosis: what do we know and what should we do? Expert Rev Neurother 2022; 22:377-392. [PMID: 35354378 DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2022.2060079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more prevalent in women than in men. The sex of the patient, and pregnancy, are reported to be associated with the clinical features of MS. The mechanism of this is unclear. AREAS COVERED This review summarizes data about sex differences in MS and the role of pregnancy. Possible mechanisms for the effects of sex and pregnancy are summarized, and practical suggestions for addressing these issues are provided. EXPERT OPINION There is considerable interdependence of the variables that are associated with MS. Men have a worse outcome of MS, and this could be due to the same factors that lead to greater incidence of neurodegenerative disease in men. The possible role of parity on the long-term outcome of MS is of interest. Future studies that look at the mechanisms of the effects of the sex of the patient on the outcome of MS are required. However, there are some actions that can be taken without further research. We can concentrate on public health measures that address the modifiable risk factors for MS and ensure that disease is controlled in women who intend to become pregnant and use appropriate disease modifying agents during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela A McCombe
- The University of Queensland, Centre for Clinical Research, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Australia
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29
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Barletta Ferreira AB, Bahia AC, Pitaluga AN, Barros E, Gama dos Santos D, Bottino-Rojas V, Kubota MS, Oliveira PLD, Pimenta PFP, Traub-Csekö YM, Sorgine MHF. Sexual Dimorphism in Immune Responses and Infection Resistance in Aedes aegypti and Other Hematophagous Insect Vectors. FRONTIERS IN TROPICAL DISEASES 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2022.847109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism in immune function is prevalent across different species, where males trade their ability to fight pathogens for a practical reproductive function while females favor an extended lifespan. In insects, these differences in immune function reflect an evolutionary life strategy, where females have a presumably more robust immune system than insect males. Here, we evaluate immune functioning in four male and female insect vectors, Aedes aegypti (Diptera, Culicidae), Anopheles aquasalis (Diptera, Culicidae), Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera, Psychodidae) and Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera, Reduviidae). We show evidence that challenges the concept of immune sexual dimorphism in three of these insect vectors. In the three Diptera species, A. aegypti, A. aquasalis and L. longipalpis that transmit arboviruses, Plasmodium spp. (Haemospororida, Plasmodiidae) and Leishmania spp. (Trypanosomatida, Trypanosomatidae), respectively, unchallenged adult males express higher levels of immune-related genes than adult females and immature developmental stages. The main components of the Toll, IMD, and Jak/STAT pathways and antimicrobial effectors are highly expressed in whole-body males. Additionally, males present lower midgut basal microbiota levels than females. In A. aegypti mosquitoes, the differences in immune gene expression and microbiota levels are established in adult mosquitoes but are not present at the recently emerged adults and pupal stage. Antibiotic treatment does not affect the consistently higher expression of immune genes in males, except defensin, which is reduced significantly after microbiota depletion and restored after re-introduction. Our data suggest that Diptera males have a basal state of activation of the immune system and that activation of a more robust response through systemic immune challenge acutely compromises their survival. The ones who survive clear the infection entirely. Females follow a different strategy where a moderate immune reaction render higher tolerance to infection and survival. In contrast, hematophagous adult males of the Hemiptera vector R. prolixus, which transmits Trypanosoma cruzi, present no differences in immune activation compared to females, suggesting that diet differences between males and females may influence immune sexual dimorphism. These findings expand our understanding of the biology of insect vectors of human pathogens, which can help to direct the development of new strategies to limit vector populations.
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30
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Vincze O, Vágási CI, Pénzes J, Szabó K, Magonyi NM, Czirják GÁ, Pap PL. Sexual dimorphism in immune function and oxidative physiology across birds: The role of sexual selection. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:958-970. [PMID: 35106902 PMCID: PMC9305230 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Sex‐specific physiology is commonly reported in animals, often indicating lower immune indices and higher oxidative stress in males than in females. Sexual selection is argued to explain these differences, but empirical evidence is limited. Here, we explore sex differences in immunity, oxidative physiology and packed cell volume of wild, adult, breeding birds (97 species, 1997 individuals, 14 230 physiological measurements). We show that higher female immune indices are most common across birds (when bias is present), but oxidative physiology shows no general sex‐bias and packed cell volume is generally male‐biased. In contrast with predictions based on sexual selection, male‐biased sexual size dimorphism is associated with male‐biased immune measures. Sexual dichromatism, mating system and parental roles had no effect on sex‐specificity in physiology. Importantly, female‐biased immunity remained after accounting for sexual selection indices. We conclude that cross‐species differences in physiological sex‐bias are largely unrelated to sexual selection and alternative explanations should be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orsolya Vincze
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Debrecen, Hungary.,Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Csongor I Vágási
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Janka Pénzes
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Krisztián Szabó
- Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nóra M Magonyi
- Doctoral School of Biology and Sportbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.,Centre for Agricultural Research, Plant Protection Institute, ELKH, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Á Czirják
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Péter L Pap
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.,Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
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31
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Sex differences in immune gene expression in the brain of a small shorebird. Immunogenetics 2022; 74:487-496. [PMID: 35084547 PMCID: PMC8792134 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-022-01253-w] [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: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Males and females often exhibit differences in behaviour, life histories, and ecology, many of which are typically reflected in their brains. Neuronal protection and maintenance include complex processes led by the microglia, which also interacts with metabolites such as hormones or immune components. Despite increasing interest in sex-specific brain function in laboratory animals, the significance of sex-specific immune activation in the brain of wild animals along with the variables that could affect it is widely lacking. Here, we use the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) to study sex differences in expression of immune genes in the brain of adult males and females, in two wild populations breeding in contrasting habitats: a coastal sea-level population and a high-altitude inland population in China. Our analysis yielded 379 genes associated with immune function. We show a significant male-biased immune gene upregulation. Immune gene expression in the brain did not differ in upregulation between the coastal and inland populations. We discuss the role of dosage compensation in our findings and their evolutionary significance mediated by sex-specific survival and neuronal deterioration. Similar expression profiles in the coastal and inland populations suggest comparable genetic control by the microglia and possible similarities in pathogen pressures between habitats. We call for further studies on gene expression of males and females in wild population to understand the implications of immune function for life-histories and demography in natural systems.
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32
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Torfs JRR, Eens M, Laméris DW, Staes N. Respiratory Disease Risk of Zoo-Housed Bonobos Is Associated with Sex and Betweenness Centrality in the Proximity Network. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:3597. [PMID: 34944372 PMCID: PMC8698162 DOI: 10.3390/ani11123597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases can be considered a threat to animal welfare and are commonly spread through both direct and indirect social interactions with conspecifics. This is especially true for species with complex social lives, like primates. While several studies have investigated the impact of sociality on disease risk in primates, only a handful have focused on respiratory disease, despite it being a major cause of morbidity and mortality in both wild and captive populations and thus an important threat to primate welfare. Therefore, we examined the role of social-network position on the occurrence of respiratory disease symptoms during one winter season in a relatively large group of 20 zoo-housed bonobos with managed fission-fusion dynamics. We found that within the proximity network, symptoms were more likely to occur in individuals with higher betweenness centrality, which are individuals that form bridges between different parts of the network. Symptoms were also more likely to occur in males than in females, independent of their social-network position. Taken together, these results highlight a combined role of close proximity and sex in increased risk of attracting respiratory disease, two factors that can be taken into account for further welfare management of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas R. R. Torfs
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.E.); (D.W.L.); (N.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.E.); (D.W.L.); (N.S.)
| | - Daan W. Laméris
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.E.); (D.W.L.); (N.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Nicky Staes
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.E.); (D.W.L.); (N.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
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33
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Geeta Arun M, Agarwala A, Syed ZA, Jigisha, Kashyap M, Venkatesan S, Chechi TS, Gupta V, Prasad NG. Experimental evolution reveals sex-specific dominance for surviving bacterial infection in laboratory populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Evol Lett 2021; 5:657-671. [PMID: 34919096 PMCID: PMC8645198 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Males and females are subjected to distinct kinds of selection pressures, often leading to the evolution of sex‐specific genetic architecture, an example being sex‐specific dominance. Sex‐specific dominance reversals (SSDRs), where alleles at sexually antagonistic loci are at least partially dominant in the sex they benefit, have been documented in Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, and seed beetles. Another interesting feature of many sexually reproducing organisms is the asymmetric inheritance pattern of X chromosomes, which often leads to distinct evolutionary outcomes on X chromosomes compared to autosomes. Examples include the higher efficacy of sexually concordant selection on X chromosomes, and X chromosomes being more conducive to the maintenance of sexually antagonistic polymorphisms under certain conditions. Immunocompetence is a trait that has been extensively investigated for sexual dimorphism with growing evidence for sex‐specific or sexually antagonistic variation. X chromosomes have been shown to harbor substantial immunity‐related genetic variation in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Here, using interpopulation crosses and cytogenetic cloning, we investigated sex‐specific dominance and the role of the X chromosome in improved postinfection survivorship of laboratory populations of D. melanogaster selected against pathogenic challenge by Pseudomonas entomophila. We could not detect any contribution of the X chromosome to the evolved immunocompetence of our selected populations, as well as to within‐population variation in immunocompetence. However, we found strong evidence of sex‐specific dominance related to surviving bacterial infection. Our results indicate that alleles that confer a survival advantage to the selected populations are, on average, partially dominant in females but partially recessive in males. This could also imply an SSDR for overall fitness, given the putative evidence for sexually antagonistic selection affecting immunocompetence in Drosophila melanogaster. We also highlight sex‐specific dominance as a potential mechanism of sex differences in immunocompetence, with population‐level sex differences primarily driven by sex differences in heterozygotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manas Geeta Arun
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Mohali 140306 India
| | - Amisha Agarwala
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Mohali 140306 India.,Department of Biology Syracuse University Syracuse New York 13210
| | - Zeeshan Ali Syed
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Mohali 140306 India.,Department of Biology Syracuse University Syracuse New York 13210
| | - Jigisha
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Mohali 140306 India
| | - Mayank Kashyap
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Mohali 140306 India
| | - Saudamini Venkatesan
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Mohali 140306 India.,Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, King's Buildings University of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH9 3FL United Kingdom
| | - Tejinder Singh Chechi
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Mohali 140306 India
| | - Vanika Gupta
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Mohali 140306 India.,Department of Entomology Cornell University Ithaca New York 14853
| | - Nagaraj Guru Prasad
- Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Mohali 140306 India
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Genetic background affects the mucosal SIgA levels, parasite burden, lung inflammation and susceptibility of male mice to Ascaris suum infection. Infect Immun 2021; 90:e0059521. [PMID: 34807734 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00595-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Ascariasis is a neglected tropical disease, widespread in the world and causing important socioeconomic impacts. The presence of various stages of worm development in the pulmonary and intestinal mucosa induces a humoral and cellular immune response. However, although there is much evidence of the protective role of mucosal immunity against various pathogens, including helminthes, there is still a gap in the knowledge about the immune response and the mechanisms of action that are involved in protection against diseases, especially in the initial phase of ascariasis. Then, the aim of this study was to evaluate the kinetic aspects of the immune parasitological parameters in intestinal and pulmonary mucosa in male mice with early ascariasis. Therefore, two mice strains showed a different susceptibility to ascariasis (BALB/c and C57BL6/j), when experimentally infected with 2,500 infective eggs of Ascaris suum from time-point 0 and the immune parasitological parameters evaluated each two days after infection, during the period of 12 days. The results were suggestive of a synergetic action of intestinal and pulmonary SIgA contributing for the protection against early ascariasis by reducing the amount of migrating larval as well as the influx of leukocytes in the lung and the consequent impair of the pulmonary capacity.
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35
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Belousova I, Pavlushin S, Subbotina A, Rudneva N, Martemyanov V. Sex Specificity in Innate Immunity of Insect Larvae. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2021; 21:6449196. [PMID: 34865031 PMCID: PMC8644026 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieab097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The innate immunity of insects has been widely studied. Although the effect of sex on insect immunity has been extensively discussed, differences in immunity between the sexes of larvae insects remain largely unstudied. Studying larval sex differences in immunity may provide valuable information about the mechanisms underlying the insect immune system, which, in turn, can be valuable for the development and improvement of pest management. Here we compared the antibacterial activity in both the midgut tissue and cell-free hemolymph of Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) females and males at the larval stage without and after a challenge by entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner. We also evaluated the sex-specific mortality of L. dispar induced by B. thuringiensis infection. We find that antibacterial activity in the midgut is activated by infection, but only in females. Thus, sex differences in immunity can have important effects even before sexual differentiation at adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Belousova
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Frunze str. 11, Novosibirsk 630091, Russia
| | - Sergey Pavlushin
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Frunze str. 11, Novosibirsk 630091, Russia
- Biological Institute, National Research Tomsk State University, Lenin Ave. 36, Tomsk, 634050, Russia
| | - Anna Subbotina
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Frunze str. 11, Novosibirsk 630091, Russia
| | - Natalya Rudneva
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Frunze str. 11, Novosibirsk 630091, Russia
| | - Vyacheslav Martemyanov
- Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Frunze str. 11, Novosibirsk 630091, Russia
- Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology, Krasnoyarsky Rabochy Ave. 31, Krasnoyarsk 660037, Russia
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36
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Almeida LZ, Hovick SM, Ludsin SA, Marschall EA. Which factors determine the long‐term effect of poor early‐life nutrition? A meta‐analytic review. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- L. Zoe Almeida
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio 43210 USA
- Aquatic Ecology Laboratory The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio 43212 USA
| | - Stephen M. Hovick
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio 43210 USA
| | - Stuart A. Ludsin
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio 43210 USA
- Aquatic Ecology Laboratory The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio 43212 USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Marschall
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio 43210 USA
- Aquatic Ecology Laboratory The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio 43212 USA
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Prokić MD, Gavrilović BR, Radovanović TB, Gavrić JP, Petrović TG, Despotović SG, Faggio C. Studying microplastics: Lessons from evaluated literature on animal model organisms and experimental approaches. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 414:125476. [PMID: 33647615 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Although we are witnesses of an increase in the number of studies examining the exposure/effects of microplastics (MPs) on different organisms, there are many unknowns. This review aims to: (i) analyze current studies devoted to investigating the exposure/effects of MPs on animals; (ii) provide some basic knowledge about different model organisms and experimental approaches used in studying MPs; and to (iii) convey directions for future studies. We have summarized data from 500 studies published from January 2011 to May 2020, about different aspects of model organisms (taxonomic group of organisms, type of ecosystem they inhabit, life-stage, sex, tissue and/or organ) and experimental design (laboratory/field, ingestion/bioaccumulation/effect). We also discuss and try to encourage investigation of some less studied organisms (terrestrial and freshwater species, among groups including Annelida, Nematoda, Echinodermata, Cnidaria, Rotifera, birds, amphibians, reptiles), and aspects of MP pollution (long-term field studies, comparative studies examining life stages, sexes, laboratory and field work). We hope that the information presented in this review will serve as a good starting point and will provide useful guidelines for researchers during the process of deciding on the model organism and study designs for investigating MPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko D Prokić
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Branka R Gavrilović
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Tijana B Radovanović
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jelena P Gavrić
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Tamara G Petrović
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Svetlana G Despotović
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Caterina Faggio
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d'Alcontres, 3198166 Santa Agata-Messina, Italy.
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Bagchi B, Corbel Q, Khan I, Payne E, Banerji D, Liljestrand-Rönn J, Martinossi-Allibert I, Baur J, Sayadi A, Immonen E, Arnqvist G, Söderhäll I, Berger D. Sexual conflict drives micro- and macroevolution of sexual dimorphism in immunity. BMC Biol 2021; 19:114. [PMID: 34078377 PMCID: PMC8170964 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01049-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sexual dimorphism in immunity is believed to reflect sex differences in reproductive strategies and trade-offs between competing life history demands. Sexual selection can have major effects on mating rates and sex-specific costs of mating and may thereby influence sex differences in immunity as well as associated host-pathogen dynamics. Yet, experimental evidence linking the mating system to evolved sexual dimorphism in immunity are scarce and the direct effects of mating rate on immunity are not well established. Here, we use transcriptomic analyses, experimental evolution and phylogenetic comparative methods to study the association between the mating system and sexual dimorphism in immunity in seed beetles, where mating causes internal injuries in females. RESULTS We demonstrate that female phenoloxidase (PO) activity, involved in wound healing and defence against parasitic infections, is elevated relative to males. This difference is accompanied by concomitant sex differences in the expression of genes in the prophenoloxidase activating cascade. We document substantial phenotypic plasticity in female PO activity in response to mating and show that experimental evolution under enforced monogamy (resulting in low remating rates and reduced sexual conflict relative to natural polygamy) rapidly decreases female (but not male) PO activity. Moreover, monogamous females had evolved increased tolerance to bacterial infection unrelated to mating, implying that female responses to costly mating may trade off with other aspects of immune defence, an hypothesis which broadly accords with the documented sex differences in gene expression. Finally, female (but not male) PO activity shows correlated evolution with the perceived harmfulness of male genitalia across 12 species of seed beetles, suggesting that sexual conflict has a significant influence on sexual dimorphisms in immunity in this group of insects. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides insights into the links between sexual conflict and sexual dimorphism in immunity and suggests that selection pressures moulded by mating interactions can lead to a sex-specific mosaic of immune responses with important implications for host-pathogen dynamics in sexually reproducing organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basabi Bagchi
- Department of Biology, Ashoka University, Sonipat, India
| | - Quentin Corbel
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Program of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Imroze Khan
- Department of Biology, Ashoka University, Sonipat, India
| | - Ellen Payne
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Program of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Johanna Liljestrand-Rönn
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Program of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ivain Martinossi-Allibert
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Program of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Organismal Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Julian Baur
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Program of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ahmed Sayadi
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Program of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elina Immonen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Program of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Göran Arnqvist
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Program of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Irene Söderhäll
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program of Comparative Physiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - David Berger
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Program of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Ferreira SCM, Veiga MM, Hofer H, East ML, Czirják GÁ. Noninvasively measured immune responses reflect current parasite infections in a wild carnivore and are linked to longevity. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:7685-7699. [PMID: 34188844 PMCID: PMC8216923 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Host immune defenses are important components of host-parasite interactions that affect the outcome of infection and may have fitness consequences for hosts when increased allocation of resources to immune responses undermines other essential life processes. Research on host-parasite interactions in large free-ranging wild mammals is currently hampered by a lack of verified noninvasive assays. We successfully adapted existing assays to measure innate and adaptive immune responses produced by the gastrointestinal mucosa in spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) feces, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), to quantify fecal immunoglobulins (total IgA, total IgG) and total fecal O-linked oligosaccharides (mucin). We investigated the effect of infection load by an energetically costly hookworm (Ancylostoma), parasite richness, host age, sex, year of sampling, and clan membership on immune responses and asked whether high investment in immune responses during early life affects longevity in individually known spotted hyenas in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Fecal concentrations of IgA, IgG, and mucin increased with Ancylostoma egg load and were higher in juveniles than in adults. Females had higher mucin concentrations than males. Juvenile females had higher IgG concentrations than juvenile males, whereas adult females had lower IgG concentrations than adult males. High IgA concentrations during the first year of life were linked to reduced longevity after controlling for age at sampling and Ancylostoma egg load. Our study demonstrates that the use of noninvasive methods can increase knowledge on the complex relationship between gastrointestinal parasites and host local immune responses in wild large mammals and reveal fitness-relevant effects of these responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana C. M. Ferreira
- Department of Ecological DynamicsLeibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife ResearchBerlinGermany
- Present address:
Division of Computational Systems BiologyCentre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems ScienceViennaAustria
| | - Miguel M. Veiga
- Department of Ecological DynamicsLeibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife ResearchBerlinGermany
| | - Heribert Hofer
- Department of Ecological DynamicsLeibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife ResearchBerlinGermany
- Department of Veterinary MedicineFreie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and PharmacyFreie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Marion L. East
- Department of Ecological DynamicsLeibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife ResearchBerlinGermany
| | - Gábor Á. Czirják
- Department of Wildlife DiseasesLeibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife ResearchBerlinGermany
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40
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Behringer V, Deimel C, Stevens JMG, Kreyer M, Lee SM, Hohmann G, Fruth B, Heistermann M. Cell-Mediated Immune Ontogeny Is Affected by Sex but Not Environmental Context in a Long-Lived Primate Species. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.629094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecoimmunology conceptualizes the role of immunity in shaping life history in a natural context. Within ecoimmunology, macroimmunology is a framework that explains the effects of habitat and spatial differences on variation in immune phenotypes across populations. Within these frameworks, immune ontogeny—the development of the immune system across an individual life span—has received little attention. Here, we investigated how immune ontogeny from birth until adulthood is affected by age, sex, and developmental environment in a long-lived primate species, the bonobo. We found a progressive, significant decline of urinary neopterin levels, a marker for the cell-mediated immune response, from birth until 5 years of age in both sexes. The overall pattern of age-related neopterin changes was sex-specific, with males having higher urinary neopterin levels than females in the first 3 years of life, and females having higher levels than males between 6 and 8 years. Environmental condition (zoo-housed vs. wild) did not influence neopterin levels, nor did age-related changes in neopterin levels differ between environments. Our data suggest that the post-natal development of cell-mediated immune ontogeny is sex-specific but does not show plasticity in response to environmental conditions in this long-lived primate species. This indicates that cell-mediated immune ontogeny in the bonobo follows a stereotypic and maybe a genetically determined pattern that is not affected by environmental differences in pathogen exposure and energy availability, but that sex is an important, yet often overlooked factor shaping patterns of immune ontogeny. Investigating the causes and consequences of variation in immunity throughout life is critical for our understanding of life-history evolution and strategies, mechanisms of sexual selection, and population dynamics with respect to pathogen susceptibility. A general description of sex-specific immune ontogeny as done here is a crucial step in this direction, particularly when it is considered in the context of a species’ ecology and evolutionary history.
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41
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Husak JF, Rohlf CM, Lailvaux SP. Immune activation affects whole-organism performance in male but not female green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis). J Comp Physiol B 2021; 191:895-905. [PMID: 33900433 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-021-01370-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Immune responses are intuitively beneficial, but they can incur a variety of costs, many of which are poorly understood. The nature and extent of trade-offs between immune activity and other components of the integrated phenotype can vary, and depend on the type of immune challenge, as well as the energetic costs of simultaneously expressing other traits. There may also be sex differences in both immune activity and immunity-induced trade-offs, particularly in the case of trade-offs involving functional traits such as whole-organism performance capacities that might be of different fitness value to males and females. We tested the response of three performance traits (sprinting, endurance, and biting) to two different immune challenges (LPS injection and wound healing) in both male and female Anolis carolinensis lizards. We found clear differences in how male and female performance capacities were affected by immune activation. LPS injection and wound healing had interactive effects on all three performance traits in males, but immune activation did not affect female performance. We also found that the degree of wound healing exhibited complex interactive effects involving sex and type of immune activation that varied depending on the performance trait in question. These results demonstrate that male and female green anoles experience different consequences of immune responses, and also that the type and extent of that activation can drive trait-specific performance trade-offs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, 55105, USA.
| | - Christine M Rohlf
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, 55105, USA
| | - Simon P Lailvaux
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, 70148, USA
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42
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Kronzer VL, Bridges SL, Davis JM. Why women have more autoimmune diseases than men: An evolutionary perspective. Evol Appl 2021; 14:629-633. [PMID: 33767739 PMCID: PMC7980266 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Women have up to a fourfold increase in risk for autoimmune disease compared to men. Many explanations have been proposed, including sex hormones, the X chromosome, microchimerism, environmental factors, and the microbiome. However, the mechanism for this autoimmune sex bias remains obscure. In this manuscript, we evaluate the hypothesis that qualitative or quantitative differences in circulating antibodies may explain, at least in part, the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease and its sex bias-especially when considering an evolutionary perspective. Indeed, women have higher absolute levels of antibodies than men, and (auto)antibodies are also associated with most autoimmune diseases. Several facts suggest differences in antibodies may cause increased prevalence of autoimmune disease in women. First, the association between increased quantities of serum antibodies and increased prevalence of autoimmunity is found not only in women, but also in men with Klinefelter syndrome. Second, both serum antibody levels and autoimmunity spike in the postpartum period. Third, a dose-response effect exists between parity and both serum antibodies and prevalence of autoimmune disease. Fourth, many biologically plausible mechanisms explain the association, such as T cell-dependent activation of B cells and/or VGLL3. The evolutionary underpinning of increased antibodies in women is likely to be protection of offspring from infections. Overall, this evolutionary paradigm can help explain why the phenomenon of autoimmunity occurs preferentially in women and raises the possibility of new treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stanley Louis Bridges
- Division of Clinical Immunology and RheumatologyUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamALUSA
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43
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Logan ML, Neel LK, Nicholson DJ, Stokes AJ, Miller CL, Chung AK, Curlis JD, Keegan KM, Rosso AA, Maayan I, Folfas E, Williams CE, Casement B, Gallegos Koyner MA, Padilla Perez DJ, Falvey CH, Alexander SM, Charles KL, Graham ZA, McMillan WO, Losos JB, Cox CL. Sex-specific microhabitat use is associated with sex-biased thermal physiology in Anolis lizards. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb235697. [PMID: 33328289 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.235697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
If fitness optima for a given trait differ between males and females in a population, sexual dimorphism may evolve. Sex-biased trait variation may affect patterns of habitat use, and if the microhabitats used by each sex have dissimilar microclimates, this can drive sex-specific selection on thermal physiology. Nevertheless, tests of differences between the sexes in thermal physiology are uncommon, and studies linking these differences to microhabitat use or behavior are even rarer. We examined microhabitat use and thermal physiology in two ectothermic congeners that are ecologically similar but differ in their degree of sexual size dimorphism. Brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) exhibit male-biased sexual size dimorphism and live in thermally heterogeneous habitats, whereas slender anoles (Anolis apletophallus) are sexually monomorphic in body size and live in thermally homogeneous habitats. We hypothesized that differences in habitat use between the sexes would drive sexual divergence in thermal physiology in brown anoles, but not slender anoles, because male and female brown anoles may be exposed to divergent microclimates. We found that male and female brown anoles, but not slender anoles, used perches with different thermal characteristics and were sexually dimorphic in thermal tolerance traits. However, field-active body temperatures and behavior in a laboratory thermal arena did not differ between females and males in either species. Our results suggest that sexual dimorphism in thermal physiology can arise from phenotypic plasticity or sex-specific selection on traits that are linked to thermal tolerance, rather than from direct effects of thermal environments experienced by males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Logan
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá City, Panamá
| | - Lauren K Neel
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Daniel J Nicholson
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University, London, E1 4NS, UK
- Zoological Society of London, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Andrew J Stokes
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Illinois Springfield, Springfield, IL 62703, USA
| | - Christina L Miller
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Albert K Chung
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA
| | - John David Curlis
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Kaitlin M Keegan
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Adam A Rosso
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA
| | - Inbar Maayan
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Edite Folfas
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | - Claire E Williams
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Brianna Casement
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Heidelberg University, Tiffin, OH 44883, USA
| | - Maria A Gallegos Koyner
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
| | | | - Cleo H Falvey
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Sean M Alexander
- Departement of Biology, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 08901, USA
| | | | - Zackary A Graham
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - W Owen McMillan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá City, Panamá
| | - Jonathan B Losos
- Department of Biology, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Christian L Cox
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute for the Environment, Florida International University, FL 33199, USA
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Abstract
Whilst the immune system often varies seasonally and exhibits differences between males and females, the general patterns in seasonality and sex differences across taxa have remained controversial. Birds are excellent model organisms to assess these patterns, because the immune system of many species is well characterised. We conducted a meta-analysis using 41 wild bird species from 24 avian families to investigate sex differences and seasonal (breeding/non-breeding) variations in immune status, including white blood cell counts, phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) test, bacteria-killing ability (BKA), haemolysis and haemagglutination assays. We found male-biased macrophage concentration, BKA and haemolysis titers, but only during the breeding season. Sex-specific heterophil concentrations, heterophil/lymphocyte ratios and PHA responses differed between breeding and non-breeding, suggesting larger changes in males than in females. Importantly, sex differences in immune status are stronger during the breeding period than during the non-breeding period. Taken together, our study suggests that both seasonal variation and sex differences in immune system are common in birds, although their associations are more complex than previously thought.
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Valdebenito JO, Liker A, Halimubieke N, Figuerola J, Székely T. Mortality cost of sex-specific parasitism in wild bird populations. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20983. [PMID: 33268803 PMCID: PMC7710712 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77410-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex-specific mortality is frequent in animals although the causes of different male versus female mortalities remain poorly understood. Parasitism is ubiquitous in nature with widespread detrimental effects to hosts, making parasitism a likely cause of sex-specific mortalities. Using sex-specific blood and gastrointestinal parasite prevalence from 96 and 54 avian host species, respectively, we test the implications of parasites for annual mortality in wild bird populations using phylogenetic comparative methods. First, we show that parasite prevalence is not different between adult males and females, although Nematodes showed a statistically significant but small male-biased parasite prevalence. Second, we found no correlation between sex-biased host mortalities and sex-biased parasite prevalence. These results were consistent in both blood and gastrointestinal parasites. Taken together, our results show little evidence for sex-dependent parasite prevalence in adults in wild bird populations, and suggest that parasite prevalence is an unlikely predictor of sex difference in adult mortalities, not withstanding sampling limitations. We propose that to understand causes of sex-biased mortalities, more complex analyses are needed that incorporate various ecological and life history components of animals life that may include sex differences in exposure to predators, immune capacity and cost of reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- José O Valdebenito
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - András Liker
- MTA-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary.,Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Naerhulan Halimubieke
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Jordi Figuerola
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain.,CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Seville, Spain
| | - Tamás Székely
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK. .,Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
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Nystrand M, Dowling DK. Effects of immune challenge on expression of life-history and immune trait expression in sexually reproducing metazoans-a meta-analysis. BMC Biol 2020; 18:135. [PMID: 33028304 PMCID: PMC7541220 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00856-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Life-history theory predicts a trade-off between investment into immune defence and other fitness-related traits. Accordingly, individuals are expected to upregulate their immune response when subjected to immune challenge. However, this is predicted to come at the expense of investment into a range of other traits that are costly to maintain, such as growth, reproduction and survival. Currently, it remains unclear whether the magnitude of such costs, and trade-offs involving immune investment and other traits, manifests consistently across species and sexes. To address this, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate how changes in sex, ontogenetic stage and environmental factors shape phenotypic trait expression following an immune challenge. RESULTS We explored the effects of immune challenge on three types of traits across sexually reproducing metazoans: life-history, morphological and proximate immune traits (235 effect sizes, 53 studies, 37 species [21 invertebrates vs. 16 vertebrates]). We report a general negative effect of immune challenge on survival and reproduction, a positive effect on immune trait expression, but no effect on morphology or development time. The negative effects of immune challenge on reproductive traits and survival were larger in females than males. We also report a pronounced effect of the immune treatment agent used (e.g. whether the treatment involved a live pathogen or not) on the host response to immune challenge, and find an effect of mating status on the host response in invertebrates. CONCLUSION These results suggest that costs associated with immune deployment following an immune challenge are context-dependent and differ consistently in their magnitude across the sexes of diverse taxonomic lineages. We synthesise and discuss the outcomes in the context of evolutionary theory on sex differences in life-history and highlight the need for future studies to carefully consider the design of experiments aimed at disentangling the costs of immune deployment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Nystrand
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 Australia
| | - D. K. Dowling
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 Australia
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47
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Moran NP, Sánchez‐Tójar A, Schielzeth H, Reinhold K. Poor nutritional condition promotes high‐risk behaviours: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 96:269-288. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P. Moran
- Evolutionary Biology Bielefeld University Morgenbreede 45 Bielefeld 33615 Germany
- Centre for Ocean Life DTU‐Aqua Technical University of Denmark Building 201, Kemitorvet Kgs. Lyngby 2800 Denmark
| | | | - Holger Schielzeth
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution Friedrich Schiller University Jena Dornburger Straße 159 Jena 07743 Germany
| | - Klaus Reinhold
- Evolutionary Biology Bielefeld University Morgenbreede 45 Bielefeld 33615 Germany
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Valdebenito JO, Martínez-de la Puente J, Castro M, Pérez-Hurtado A, Tejera G, Székely T, Halimubieke N, Schroeder J, Figuerola J. Association of insularity and body condition to cloacal bacteria prevalence in a small shorebird. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0237369. [PMID: 32804958 PMCID: PMC7430747 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Do islands harbour less diverse disease communities than mainland? The island biogeography theory predicts more diverse communities on mainland than on islands due to more niches, more diverse habitats and availability of greater range of hosts. We compared bacteria prevalences of Campylobacter, Chlamydia and Salmonella in cloacal samples of a small shorebird, the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) between two island populations of Macaronesia and two mainland locations in the Iberian Peninsula. Bacteria were found in all populations but, contrary to the expectations, prevalences did not differ between islands and mainland. Females had higher prevalences than males for Salmonella and when three bacteria genera were pooled together. Bacteria infection was unrelated to bird’s body condition but females from mainland were heavier than males and birds from mainland were heavier than those from islands. Abiotic variables consistent throughout breeding sites, like high salinity that is known to inhibit bacteria growth, could explain the lack of differences in the bacteria prevalence between areas. We argue about the possible drivers and implications of sex differences in bacteria prevalence in Kentish plovers.
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Affiliation(s)
- José O. Valdebenito
- Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Josué Martínez-de la Puente
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Seville, Spain
| | - Macarena Castro
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain
| | - Alejandro Pérez-Hurtado
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain
| | - Gustavo Tejera
- Canary Islands’ Ornithology and Natural History Group (GOHNIC), Buenavista del Norte, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Tamás Székely
- Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
- Departmen of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | | | - Julia Schroeder
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, United Kingdom
| | - Jordi Figuerola
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Seville, Spain
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Martens JM, Stokes HS, Berg ML, Walder K, Raidal SR, Magrath MJL, Bennett ATD. Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) prevalence, load and excretion in seven species of wild caught common Australian parrots. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0235406. [PMID: 32609774 PMCID: PMC7329075 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogens pose a major risk to wild host populations, especially in the face of ongoing biodiversity declines. Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) can affect most if not all members of one of the largest and most threatened bird orders world-wide, the Psittaciformes. Signs of disease can be severe and mortality rates high. Its broad host range makes it a risk to threatened species in particular, because infection can occur via spill-over from abundant hosts. Despite these risks, surveillance of BFDV in locally abundant wild host species has been lacking. We used qPCR and haemagglutination assays to investigate BFDV prevalence, load and shedding in seven abundant host species in the wild in south-east Australia: Crimson Rosellas (Platycercus elegans), Eastern Rosellas (Platycercus eximius), Galahs (Eolophus roseicapillus), Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galerita), Blue-winged Parrots (Neophema chrysostoma), Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) and Red-rumped Parrots (Psephotus haematonotus). We found BFDV infection in clinically normal birds in six of the seven species sampled. We focused our analysis on the four most commonly caught species, namely Crimson Rosellas (BFDV prevalence in blood samples: 41.8%), Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (20.0%), Blue-winged Parrots (11.8%) and Galahs (8.8%). Species, but not sex, was a significant predictor for BFDV prevalence and load. 56.1% of BFDV positive individuals were excreting BFDV antigen into their feathers, indicative of active viral replication with shedding. Being BFDV positive in blood samples predicted shedding in Crimson Rosellas. Our study confirms that BFDV is endemic in our study region, and can inform targeted disease management by providing comparative data on interspecies variation in virus prevalence, load and shedding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanne M. Martens
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Helena S. Stokes
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mathew L. Berg
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ken Walder
- Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shane R. Raidal
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Science, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia
| | | | - Andy T. D. Bennett
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
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Kelly CD, Adam-Granger É. Mating with sexually attractive males provides female Gryllus firmus field crickets with direct but not indirect fitness benefits. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02859-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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