Parasite infection induces size-dependent host dispersal: consequences for parasite persistence

Migratory divides and their consequences for dispersal, population size and parasite-host interactions.

Populations of migratory birds differ in their direction of migration with neighbouring populations often migrating in divergent directions separated by migratory divides. A total of 26% of 103 passerine bird species in Europe had migratory divides that were located disproportionately often along a longitudinal gradient in Central Europe, consistent with the assumption of a Quaternary glacial o...

Parasite infection and host group size: a meta-analytical review

Many studies have identified various host behavioural and ecological traits that are associated with parasite infection, including host gregariousness. By use of meta-analyses, we investigated to what degree parasite prevalence, intensity and species richness are correlated with group size in gregarious species. We predicted that larger groups would have more parasites and higher parasite speci...

The evolution of parasite manipulation of host dispersal.

We investigate the evolution of manipulation of host dispersal behaviour by parasites using spatially explicit individual-based simulations. We find that when dispersal is local, parasites always gain from increasing their hosts' dispersal rate, although the evolutionary outcome is determined by the costs-to-benefits ratio. However, when dispersal can be non-local, we show that parasites invest...

Host ER stress during malaria parasite infection.

After transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes, malaria parasite sporozoites target the liver, where they infect hepatocytes and multiply thousands of times. The release of new parasites into the blood stream then initiates symptomatic red blood cell infection. Although successful replication within hepatocytes is critical for host infection, little is known about parasite–hepatocyte interactions t...

Actinomyces bovis a possible cause for calcification of the parasite in the host tissue