Transmission-relevant behaviours shift with pathogen infection in wild house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus)

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. 752-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.M. Hawley ◽  
A.K. Davis ◽  
A.A. Dhondt
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Pathogen Infection ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Host Behaviour

Host individuals who are infected with a pathogen may alter their behaviour in ways that influence transmission. We observed a marked population of house finches ( Carpodacus mexicanus (Muller, 1776)) in Ithaca, New York, to test whether individuals change their behaviour at feeding stations when infected with a prevalent bacterial pathogen, Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG). We found that house finches with conjunctival lesions consistent with MG infection fed for longer bouts of time than individuals without conjunctivitis. Furthermore, the same individuals that were observed both with and without conjunctivitis during 3 years of study were more likely to feed alone and associated in significantly smaller flocks when conjunctivitis signs were present. These results suggest house finches alter their foraging and social behaviour at feeding stations when visibly infected with MG. Since MG transmission is thought to primarily occur at feeders, these changes in host behaviour likely have important consequences for MG transmission dynamics.

scholarly journals Genetic diversity predicts pathogen resistance and cell-mediated immunocompetence in house finches

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana M Hawley ◽  
Keila V Sydenstricker ◽  
George V Kollias ◽  
André A Dhondt
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Pathogen Resistance ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Pathogen Challenge ◽  
Outbred Populations ◽  
The Relationship

Evidence is accumulating that genetic variation within individual hosts can influence their susceptibility to pathogens. However, there have been few opportunities to experimentally test this relationship, particularly within outbred populations of non-domestic vertebrates. We performed a standardized pathogen challenge in house finches ( Carpodacus mexicanus ) to test whether multilocus heterozygosity across 12 microsatellite loci predicts resistance to a recently emerged strain of the bacterial pathogen, Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG). We simultaneously tested whether the relationship between heterozygosity and pathogen susceptibility is mediated by differences in cell-mediated or humoral immunocompetence. We inoculated 40 house finches with MG under identical conditions and assayed both humoral and cell-mediated components of the immune response. Heterozygous house finches developed less severe disease when infected with MG, and they mounted stronger cell-mediated immune responses to phytohaemagglutinin. Differences in cell-mediated immunocompetence may, therefore, partly explain why more heterozygous house finches show greater resistance to MG. Overall, our results underscore the importance of multilocus heterozygosity for individual pathogen resistance and immunity.

scholarly journals Dynamics of Conjunctivitis and Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Infections in House Finches

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry K. Hartup ◽  
Jean M. Bickal ◽  
Andre A. Dhondt ◽  
David H. Ley ◽  
George V. Kollias
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuation ◽  
Host Density ◽  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Disease Prevalence ◽  
Significant Decline ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
House Finch ◽  
House Finches

Abstract Conjunctivitis, an infectious disease caused by Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), has produced a significant decline in eastern House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) of North America. In this paper, we present findings from two complementary studies designed to clarify annual and seasonal trends of MG infections in House Finches from the northeastern United States. The first was a field study of House Finches common to urban and residential habitat from Mercer County, New Jersey. We documented conjunctivitis in 11% (188/1,651) of the birds examined. Conjunctivitis prevalence in House Finches ranged from 0 to 43% per month, and exhibited marked seasonal fluctuation (elevations during fall and winter months and lower disease prevalence during the breeding season). There was excellent intermethod agreement on disease prevalence when measured by either presence of physical signs (conjunctivitis) or MG infection (kappa = 0.75). During the peak of the breeding season (April through June), conjunctivitis was present in a greater proportion of males lacking a cloacal protuberance than males with a cloacal protuberance (P < 0.01), but was similar between breeding and nonbreeding females. The second study, a volunteer survey, revealed the proportion of northeastern U.S. monitoring sites with at least one diseased House Finch each month ranged from a peak of 59% (August 1995) to a minimum of 12% (July 1999). Subsequent to the epidemic peak of disease in 1995, a series of recurring cycles occurred, with elevations in those proportions noted in late fall and winter and minima during the breeding season. Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis now appears endemic among House Finches of that region and demonstrates dynamics consistent with annual variation in host density.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum Isolated from House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) with Conjunctivitis

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 480 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Ley ◽  
J. Edward Berkhoff ◽  
Judith M. McLaren
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
House Finches

Field Investigation of Mycoplasma gallisepticum Infections in House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) from Maryland and Georgia

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 335 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Luttrell ◽  
J. R. Fischer ◽  
D. E. Stallknecht ◽  
S. H. Kleven
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
House Finches

scholarly journals Effects of Coccidial and Mycoplasmal Infections on Carotenoid-Based Plumage Pigmentation in Male House Finches

The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 952-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Brawner ◽  
Geoffrey E. Hill ◽  
Christine A. Sundermann
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Carotenoid Pigments ◽  
Secondary Sexual Traits ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Proximate Factors ◽  
Sexual Traits ◽  
Male House

AbstractCarotenoid pigments produce the ornamental red, orange, and yellow integumentary coloration of many species of animals. Among individuals of a population, the hue and saturation of carotenoid-based ornaments can be extremely variable, and studies of fish and birds have shown that females generally prefer males that display the most saturated and reddest coloration. Consequently, there has been a great deal of interest in determining the proximate factors that affect individual expression of carotenoid-based pigmentation. Parasites might affect production of ornamental coloration, and the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis proposes that parasitized males will show decreased expression of the secondary sexual traits preferred by females. We found that captive male House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) experimentally infected with Isospora spp. (coccidians) and/or Mycoplasma gallisepticum produced carotenoid-based plumage coloration that was significantly less red and less saturated than that of noninfected males. These observations validate a necessary condition of the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis, but heritable resistance to the pathogens we examined remains to be demonstrated.

The proximate basis of inter- and intra-population variation in female plumage coloration in the House Finch

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey E. Hill
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Regional Variation ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Carotenoid Pigments ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Hawaii Island ◽  
Carotenoid Pigmentation ◽  
Dietary Carotenoid

As in many sexually dichromatic species in which males are brightly colored, female House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) show a subdued expression of the same coloration as males. I quantified the carotenoid plumage coloration of females from the subspecies C. m. frontalis in Michigan, New York, Hawaii Island, and two sites in California, and from the subspecies C. m. griscomi in Guerrero, Mexico. The proportion of females with detectable carotenoid pigmentation differed significantly among populations, as did the median plumage brightness of colorful females. In Michigan, but not California, yearling females tended to be more colorful than older females. Among C. m. frontalis populations, there was a significant positive correlation between the plumage brightness of females and males, but in the C. m. griscomi population males were brightly colored while females were drab. In aviary experiments, females of all ages and from all populations converged on a similar plumage brightness after molt when fed a common diet. Moreover, females from all populations showed maximum color expression when provided with abundant red carotenoid pigments. These observations suggest that local and regional variation in the plumage brightness of females reflects local and regional variation in the availability of dietary carotenoid pigments and that female House Finches do not actively forage for carotenoids.

scholarly journals Blood Parasites of House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) from Georgia and New York

2008 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 469-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry K. Hartup ◽  
Allison Oberc ◽  
Briana Stott-Messick ◽  
Andrew K. Davis ◽  
Elliott C. H. Swarthout
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
House Finches

Mycoplasma gallisepticum in House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) and Other Wild Birds Associated with Poultry Production Facilities

2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Luttrell ◽  
D. E. Stallknecht ◽  
S. H. Kleven ◽  
D. M. Kavanaugh ◽  
J. L. Corn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Wild Birds ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Production Facilities

scholarly journals Feeder use predicts both acquisition and transmission of a contagious pathogen in a North American songbird

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1815) ◽  
pp. 20151429 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Adelman ◽  
Sahnzi C. Moyers ◽  
Damien R. Farine ◽  
Dana M. Hawley
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Study Finding ◽  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Individual Heterogeneity ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Behavioural Characteristics ◽  
Bird Feeders

Individual heterogeneity can influence the dynamics of infectious diseases in wildlife and humans alike. Thus, recent work has sought to identify behavioural characteristics that contribute disproportionately to individual variation in pathogen acquisition (super-receiving) or transmission (super-spreading). However, it remains unknown whether the same behaviours enhance both acquisition and transmission, a scenario likely to result in explosive epidemics. Here, we examined this possibility in an ecologically relevant host–pathogen system: house finches and their bacterial pathogen, Mycoplasma gallisepticum , which causes severe conjunctivitis. We examined behaviours likely to influence disease acquisition (feeder use, aggression, social network affiliations) in an observational field study, finding that the time an individual spends on bird feeders best predicted the risk of conjunctivitis. To test whether this behaviour also influences the likelihood of transmitting M. gallisepticum , we experimentally inoculated individuals based on feeding behaviour and tracked epidemics within captive flocks. As predicted, transmission was fastest when birds that spent the most time on feeders initiated the epidemic. Our results suggest that the same behaviour underlies both pathogen acquisition and transmission in this system and potentially others. Identifying individuals that exhibit such behaviours is critical for disease management.

Characterization of Mycoplasma gallisepticum Infection in Captive House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) in 1998

2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon R. Roberts ◽  
Paul M. Nolan ◽  
Geoffrey E. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
House Finches
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