Ants avoid superinfections by performing risk-adjusted sanitary care

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Matthias KonradSylvia Cremer

Abstract

Being cared for when sick is a benefit of sociality that can reduce disease and improve survival of group members. However, individuals providing care risk contracting infectious diseases themselves. If they contract a low pathogen dose, they may develop low-level infections that do not cause disease but still affect host immunity by either decreasing or increasing the host's vulnerability to subsequent infections. Caring for contagious individuals can thus significantly alter the future disease susceptibility of caregivers. Using ants and their fungal pathogens as a model system, we tested if the altered disease susceptibility of experienced caregivers, in turn, affects their expression of sanitary care behavior. We found that low-level infections contracted during sanitary care had protective or neutral effects on secondary exposure to the same (homologous) pathogen but consistently caused high mortality on superinfection with a different (heterologous) pathogen. In response to this risk, the ants selectively adjusted the expression of their sanitary care. Specifically, the ants performed less grooming and more antimicrobial disinfection when caring for nestmates contaminated with heterologous pathogens compared with homologo...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1990·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·B L Hart
Jan 1, 1988·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·B L Hart
Mar 1, 1996·The Quarterly Review of Biology·S A Frank
May 16, 2002·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·James F A TranielloKeely Savoie
Sep 28, 2002·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·William O H HughesJacobus J Boomsma
Mar 18, 2003·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Paul Schmid-Hempel
Apr 23, 2004·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·W O H Hughes, J J Boomsma
Aug 27, 2004·Nature·Ashleigh S GriffinAngus Buckling
Nov 6, 2004·Seminars in Immunology·Tania S GourleyRafi Ahmed
Nov 16, 2004·BMC Evolutionary Biology·William O H HughesJacobus J Boomsma
May 2, 2006·Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy : Official Journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy·Yoichiro ItoToshihiko Kato
May 26, 2006·Nature·Donald C BehringerJeffrey D Shields
Aug 24, 2007·Current Biology : CB·Sylvia CremerPaul Schmid-Hempel
Nov 6, 2007·Current Biology : CB·Line V Ugelvig, Sylvia Cremer
Dec 13, 2007·Nature Reviews. Neuroscience·Robert DantzerKeith W Kelley
Dec 4, 2008·PloS One·Sylvia CremerJacobus J Boomsma
May 5, 2009·Biology Letters·Tom N Walker, William O H Hughes
Feb 2, 2010·Current Biology : CB·Jürgen Heinze, Bartosz Walter
Jan 5, 2011·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Valerie CurtisRobert Aunger
Feb 11, 2011·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·A ReberM Chapuisat
Nov 30, 2011·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·N BosP d'Ettorre
Mar 3, 2012·PloS One·Benjamin DainatPeter Neumann
Apr 12, 2012·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Yuko Ulrich, Paul Schmid-Hempel
Apr 18, 2012·PLoS Biology·Matthias KonradSylvia Cremer
Oct 17, 2012·Journal of Insect Physiology·David BaracchiStefano Turillazzi
Dec 12, 2012·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Janice Moore
Dec 19, 2012·Current Biology : CB·Simon TragustSylvia Cremer
Apr 27, 2013·Science·Amanda M JamiesonRuslan Medzhitov
Nov 16, 2013·Die Naturwissenschaften·Christopher D PullMark J F Brown
Sep 17, 2014·Journal of Invertebrate Pathology·Bernhardt M SteinwenderNicolai V Meyling
Sep 24, 2014·Trends in Immunology·Leila Masri, Sylvia Cremer
Dec 11, 2014·International Journal of Epidemiology·Zena A SteinRaymond A Smith
Oct 17, 2015·PLoS Biology·Keren Shakhar, Guy Shakhar
Aug 1, 2016·Die Naturwissenschaften·Jean-Baptiste Leclerc, Claire Detrain
Apr 25, 2017·Science Advances·Clémence PoirotteMarie J E Charpentier
Sep 26, 2017·Annual Review of Entomology·Sylvia CremerMatthias A Fürst

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jan 5, 2019·The ISME Journal·Manuel Delgado-BaquerizoBrajesh K Singh
Jul 18, 2020·Insects·Hugo Pereira, Claire Detrain
Mar 7, 2021·Science·Sebastian StockmaierDaniel I Bolnick
Apr 29, 2021·Journal of Economic Entomology·Ali HassanYongyong Gao
Aug 10, 2021·Microbial Ecology·Nicholas V TravantyLoganathan Ponnusamy
Sep 9, 2021·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Giacomo AlciatoreYuko Ulrich
Nov 2, 2020·Journal of Invertebrate Pathology·Natalie ImirzianDavid P Hughes

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
Fabian J TheisSylvia Cremer
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Anabelle ReberMichel Chapuisat
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved