Assessing the impact of male-killing bacteria on the spread of a sexually transmitted infection

(2015) Assessing the impact of male-killing bacteria on the spread of a sexually transmitted infection. Animal Behaviour, 107. pp. 41-48. ISSN 0003-3472

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Abstract

Theory predicts that the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) will be affected by any factor that alters the mating biology of its host. In insects, the presence of sex ratio-distorting symbionts may modulate population sex ratio, altering male and female encounter rates and creating the potential for symbionts to influence STI dynamics. We used laboratory experiments to investigate how a heritable male-killing Spiroplasma bacterial symbiont will affect the epidemiology of a sexually transmitted mite, Coccipolipus hippodamiae in the two-spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata. We compared mating biology and STI transmission under 1:1 and 4:1 population sex ratios, equivalent to no male-killer presence and 75% male-killer prevalence. We observed that males have the potential to mate with enough females to maintain high female mating rate under strongly female-biased population sex ratios. Further, we observed that females remate more readily when males mate frequently, suggesting female mating rate may in fact be raised in female-biased populations. From the mite's perspective, these effects are countered, at least partly, by reductions in mite transmission from recently mated infected males. We modelled the impact of these processes on STI epidemiology, and concluded that strong sex ratio biases associated with male-killing bacteria are likely to speed the spread of STI infection through both male and female hosts. Thus, the presence of the male-killing bacterium is likely to have indirect impacts on female hosts, mediated through the STI.

Item Type:	Article
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	25 Sep 2015 15:30
Last Modified:	16 Dec 2022 04:43
DOI:	10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.06.002
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/2028261

Available Versions of this Item

• Assessing the impact of male-killing bacteria on the spread of a sexually transmitted infection. (deposited 25 Sep 2015 15:30) [Currently Displayed]
  • Assessing the impact of male-killing bacteria on the spread of a sexually transmitted infection. (deposited 02 Oct 2015 10:03)