Abstract
Avian malaria parasites are known to have negative effects on their hosts, including consequences for reproductive success and survival. However, the outcome of disease may vary greatly among individuals, due to their particular genetic background, their past history of exposure to infections, or the way they respond to infections at the physiological level. We experimentally reduced parasitemia in naturally infected birds to examine individual-level variation in physiological parameters involved in anti-parasite defense, focusing specifically on disease resistance and tolerance. As a measure of disease resistance, we used circulating levels of IgY, and as a measure of disease tolerance, we estimated haptoglobin concentrations. Our results show individual consistency in the physiological parameters studied during the experiment, that was statistically significant for body condition, and marginally significant for IgY levels, and a trade-off between physiological mechanisms involved in resistance and tolerance that seem to be mediated by parasitemia. The medication experiment with primaquine was successful in reducing parasite intensity, but was not sufficient to clear the infection, and there was a generalized improvement in body condition in all birds maintained in captivity during the experiment. We suggest that the observed changes in the association between resistance and tolerance estimates may be due to the decrease in parasitemia attained through medication, to the improved nutritional status observed during the experiment or to the combined effect of both. Our study adds to the understanding of how wild animals cope with the diseases they are exposed to in their natural environment, and ultimately the consequences of parasitism at the individual level.
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We thank D. Hoving and Cristina Martin for their help in the lab. The comments by two anonymous reviewers greatly improved the manuscript.
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EA formulated the idea. JPT and EA designed the experiments and obtained funds. CR, AR, JPT and EA performed the experiments. EA analyzed the data and wrote original draft. All authors reviewed and edited the manuscript.
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All applicable institutional and/or national guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. The experiments were carried out with the approval of the Animal Experiment Committee of the University Complutense of Madrid (#103/2012), and the permits from the local government of the region of Madrid for the capture, transportation and release of animals.
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Communicated by Kevin D Matson.
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Arriero, E., Pérez-Tris, J., Ramírez, A. et al. Trade-off between tolerance and resistance to infections: an experimental approach with malaria parasites in a passerine bird. Oecologia 188, 1001–1010 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4290-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4290-4