Experimental parasite community perturbation reveals associations between Sin Nombre virus and gastrointestinal nematodes in a rodent reservoir host

Amy Sweeny, Courtney A. Thomason, Edwin A. Carbajal, Christina B. Hansen, Andrea L. Graham, Amy B Pendersen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Individuals are often co-infected with several parasite species, yet measuring within-host interactions remains difficult in the wild. Consequently, the impact of such interactions on host fitness and epidemiology are often unknown. We used anthelmintic drugs to experimentally reduce nematode infection and measured the effects on both nematodes and the important zoonosis Sin Nombre virus (SNV) in its primary reservoir (Peromyscusspp.). Treatment significantly reduced nematode infection, but increased SNV seroprevalence. Furthermore, mice that were co-infected with both nematodes and SNV were in better condition and survived up to four times longer than uninfected or singly infected mice. These results highlight the importance of investigating multiple parasites for understanding interindividual variation and epidemiological dynamics in reservoir populations with zoonotic transmission potential.
Original languageEnglish
Article number20200604
Number of pages7
JournalBiology letters
Volume16
Issue number12
Early online date23 Dec 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Dec 2020

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • sin nombre virus
  • gastrointestinal nematodes
  • disease control
  • reservoir host
  • co-infection

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