Does elevated testosterone result in increased exposure and transmission of parasites?
- PMID: 19392718
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01306.x
Does elevated testosterone result in increased exposure and transmission of parasites?
Abstract
Male-biased infection is a common phenomenon in vertebrate-parasite systems and male-biased transmission has been experimentally demonstrated. One mechanism that is hypothesized to create male-biased transmission is the immuno-suppressive effect of testosterone because it increases susceptibility to infection. Testosterone also influences host behaviour and, consequently, may increase exposure to parasites. To test how testosterone could increase exposure and transmission, we undertook a longitudinal mark-recapture study where we experimentally elevated testosterone levels in wild male rodents. Individuals in control populations reduced the average number of contacts over the treatment period, while populations with experimentally elevated testosterone levels maintained the number of contacts between hosts. As a result, the transmission potential was higher in testosterone treated populations compared to controls. Our results indicated that males with high-testosterone levels alter the population-level contacts, producing different social networks and increasing transmission potential compared to those where testosterone is at background levels.
Similar articles
-
Male hosts are responsible for the transmission of a trophically transmitted parasite, Pterygodermatites peromysci, to the intermediate host in the absence of sex-biased infection.Int J Parasitol. 2009 Sep;39(11):1263-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2009.03.007. Epub 2009 May 4. Int J Parasitol. 2009. PMID: 19397911
-
The interaction of parasites and resources cause crashes in a wild mouse population.J Anim Ecol. 2008 Mar;77(2):370-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2007.01321.x. Epub 2007 Nov 19. J Anim Ecol. 2008. PMID: 18028357
-
Could parasites destabilize mouse populations? The potential role of Pterygodermatites peromysci in the population dynamics of free-living mice, Peromyscus leucopus.Int J Parasitol. 2009 Sep;39(11):1253-62. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2009.02.025. Epub 2009 May 4. Int J Parasitol. 2009. PMID: 19409901
-
Parasite infections in laboratory mice colonies.Pol J Vet Sci. 2003;6(1):51-3. Pol J Vet Sci. 2003. PMID: 12675469 Review.
-
Structure in parasite component communities in wild rodents: predictability, stability, associations and interactions .... or pure randomness?Parasitology. 2008 Jun;135(7):751-66. doi: 10.1017/S0031182008000334. Epub 2008 Mar 27. Parasitology. 2008. PMID: 18371244 Review.
Cited by
-
Food availability leads to more connected contact networks among peridomestic zoonotic reservoir hosts.R Soc Open Sci. 2023 Nov 15;10(11):230809. doi: 10.1098/rsos.230809. eCollection 2023 Nov. R Soc Open Sci. 2023. PMID: 38026027 Free PMC article.
-
Ectoparasites associated with the Bushveld gerbil (Gerbilliscus leucogaster) and the role of the host and habitat in shaping ectoparasite diversity and infestations.Parasitology. 2023 Aug;150(9):792-804. doi: 10.1017/S0031182023000562. Epub 2023 Jun 5. Parasitology. 2023. PMID: 37272490 Free PMC article.
-
Apathogenic proxies for transmission dynamics of a fatal virus.Front Vet Sci. 2022 Sep 8;9:940007. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.940007. eCollection 2022. Front Vet Sci. 2022. PMID: 36157183 Free PMC article.
-
A new method for characterising shared space use networks using animal trapping data.Behav Ecol Sociobiol. 2022;76(9):127. doi: 10.1007/s00265-022-03222-5. Epub 2022 Aug 26. Behav Ecol Sociobiol. 2022. PMID: 36042847 Free PMC article.
-
Longitudinal dynamics of co-infecting gastrointestinal parasites in a wild sheep population.Parasitology. 2022 Feb 3;149(5):1-12. doi: 10.1017/S0031182021001980. Online ahead of print. Parasitology. 2022. PMID: 35264257 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Research Materials