Disease Epidemiology in Arthropods Is Altered by the Presence of Nonprotective Symbionts



Ryder, Jonathan J, Hoare, Mary-Jo, Pastok, Daria, Bottery, Michael, Boots, Michael, Fenton, Andrew ORCID: 0000-0002-7676-917X, Atkinson, David ORCID: 0000-0002-9956-2454, Knell, Robert J and Hurst, Gregory DD ORCID: 0000-0002-7163-7784
(2014) Disease Epidemiology in Arthropods Is Altered by the Presence of Nonprotective Symbionts. AMERICAN NATURALIST, 183 (3). E89-E104.

[img] Text
Ryderetal2014.pdf - Unspecified
Access to this file is embargoed until Unspecified.

Download (650kB)

Abstract

Inherited microbial symbionts can modulate host susceptibility to natural enemy attack. A wider range of symbionts influence host population demography without altering individual susceptibility, and it has been suggested that these may modify host disease risk through altering the rate of exposure to natural enemies. We present the first test of this thesis, specifically testing whether male-killing symbionts alter the epidemiology of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) carried by its host. STIs are typically expected to show female-biased epidemics, and we first present a simple model which indicates that male-biased STI epidemics may occur where symbionts create female-biased population sex ratios. We then examined the dynamics of a STI in the ladybird beetle Adalia bipunctata, which is also host to a male-killing bacterium. We present evidence that male-biased epidemics of the STI are observed in natural populations when the male-killer is common. Laboratory experiments did not support a role for differential susceptibility of male and female hosts to the STI, nor a protective role for the symbiont, in creating this bias. We conclude that the range of symbionts likely to alter parasite epidemiology will be much wider than previously envisaged, because it will additionally include those that impact host demography alone.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: ## TULIP Type: Articles/Papers (Journal) ##
Uncontrolled Keywords: epidemiology, symbiosis, sexually transmitted infection, Spiroplasma, demography
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 11 Mar 2015 10:57
Last Modified: 25 Jan 2023 04:35
DOI: 10.1086/674827
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/2008022