Ectoparasitism during an avian disease outbreak: An experiment with Mycoplasma-infected house finches and ticks
Hosts are typically co-parasitized by multiple species. Parasites can benefit or suffer from the presence of other parasites, which can reduce or increase the overall virulence due to competition or facilitation. Outcomes of new multi-parasite systems are seldom predictable. In 1994 the bacterium My...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2020-08-01
|
| Series: | International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224420300328 |
| _version_ | 1818998215729479680 |
|---|---|
| author | Dieter J.A. Heylen María Teresa Reinoso-Pérez Laura Goodman Keila V. Dhondt André A. Dhondt |
| author_facet | Dieter J.A. Heylen María Teresa Reinoso-Pérez Laura Goodman Keila V. Dhondt André A. Dhondt |
| author_sort | Dieter J.A. Heylen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hosts are typically co-parasitized by multiple species. Parasites can benefit or suffer from the presence of other parasites, which can reduce or increase the overall virulence due to competition or facilitation. Outcomes of new multi-parasite systems are seldom predictable. In 1994 the bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum jumped from poultry to songbirds in which it caused an epidemic throughout North America. Songbirds are often parasitized by hard ticks, and can act as reservoirs for tick-borne pathogens. We tested the hypothesis that Mycoplasma infection in house finches influences North America's most important tick vector Ixodes scapularis, by affecting the tick's feeding success, detachment behaviour and survival to the next stage. Most ticks detached during the daylight hours irrespective of the bird's disease status and time since infestation. Birds incrementally invested in anti-tick resistance mechanisms over the course of the experiment; this investment was made earlier in the Mycoplasma-infected birds. At higher tick densities, the feeding success on birds with more severe conjunctivitis was lower than in the uninfected birds. Throughout the experiment we found positive density dependent effects on the tick's feeding success. More diseased hosts suffered more from the tick infestations, as shown by reduced haematocrits. Three Mycoplasma-infected birds died during the weeks following the experiment, although all birds were kept in optimal housing conditions. Mycoplasma made the bird a less accessible and valuable host for ticks, which is an example of ecological interference. Therefore, Mycoplasma has the potential to ultimately reduce transmission outcomes of tick-borne pathogens via songbird hosts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T21:57:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-06f696f598b94788b46049b3237ff7e6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2213-2244 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T21:57:59Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
| spelling | doaj.art-06f696f598b94788b46049b3237ff7e62022-12-21T19:25:25ZengElsevierInternational Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife2213-22442020-08-01125363Ectoparasitism during an avian disease outbreak: An experiment with Mycoplasma-infected house finches and ticksDieter J.A. Heylen0María Teresa Reinoso-Pérez1Laura Goodman2Keila V. Dhondt3André A. Dhondt4Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium; Eco-Epidemiology Group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Corresponding author. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USADepartment of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USADepartment of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USALaboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USAHosts are typically co-parasitized by multiple species. Parasites can benefit or suffer from the presence of other parasites, which can reduce or increase the overall virulence due to competition or facilitation. Outcomes of new multi-parasite systems are seldom predictable. In 1994 the bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum jumped from poultry to songbirds in which it caused an epidemic throughout North America. Songbirds are often parasitized by hard ticks, and can act as reservoirs for tick-borne pathogens. We tested the hypothesis that Mycoplasma infection in house finches influences North America's most important tick vector Ixodes scapularis, by affecting the tick's feeding success, detachment behaviour and survival to the next stage. Most ticks detached during the daylight hours irrespective of the bird's disease status and time since infestation. Birds incrementally invested in anti-tick resistance mechanisms over the course of the experiment; this investment was made earlier in the Mycoplasma-infected birds. At higher tick densities, the feeding success on birds with more severe conjunctivitis was lower than in the uninfected birds. Throughout the experiment we found positive density dependent effects on the tick's feeding success. More diseased hosts suffered more from the tick infestations, as shown by reduced haematocrits. Three Mycoplasma-infected birds died during the weeks following the experiment, although all birds were kept in optimal housing conditions. Mycoplasma made the bird a less accessible and valuable host for ticks, which is an example of ecological interference. Therefore, Mycoplasma has the potential to ultimately reduce transmission outcomes of tick-borne pathogens via songbird hosts.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224420300328Co-pathogenEcological interferenceEctoparasiteHaemorhous mexicanusIxodes scapularisMycoplasma gallisepticum |
| spellingShingle | Dieter J.A. Heylen María Teresa Reinoso-Pérez Laura Goodman Keila V. Dhondt André A. Dhondt Ectoparasitism during an avian disease outbreak: An experiment with Mycoplasma-infected house finches and ticks International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife Co-pathogen Ecological interference Ectoparasite Haemorhous mexicanus Ixodes scapularis Mycoplasma gallisepticum |
| title | Ectoparasitism during an avian disease outbreak: An experiment with Mycoplasma-infected house finches and ticks |
| title_full | Ectoparasitism during an avian disease outbreak: An experiment with Mycoplasma-infected house finches and ticks |
| title_fullStr | Ectoparasitism during an avian disease outbreak: An experiment with Mycoplasma-infected house finches and ticks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ectoparasitism during an avian disease outbreak: An experiment with Mycoplasma-infected house finches and ticks |
| title_short | Ectoparasitism during an avian disease outbreak: An experiment with Mycoplasma-infected house finches and ticks |
| title_sort | ectoparasitism during an avian disease outbreak an experiment with mycoplasma infected house finches and ticks |
| topic | Co-pathogen Ecological interference Ectoparasite Haemorhous mexicanus Ixodes scapularis Mycoplasma gallisepticum |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224420300328 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dieterjaheylen ectoparasitismduringanaviandiseaseoutbreakanexperimentwithmycoplasmainfectedhousefinchesandticks AT mariateresareinosoperez ectoparasitismduringanaviandiseaseoutbreakanexperimentwithmycoplasmainfectedhousefinchesandticks AT lauragoodman ectoparasitismduringanaviandiseaseoutbreakanexperimentwithmycoplasmainfectedhousefinchesandticks AT keilavdhondt ectoparasitismduringanaviandiseaseoutbreakanexperimentwithmycoplasmainfectedhousefinchesandticks AT andreadhondt ectoparasitismduringanaviandiseaseoutbreakanexperimentwithmycoplasmainfectedhousefinchesandticks |