Measuring aggregation of parasites at different host population levels

SUMMARY Parasites are generally found aggregated among hosts. In this paper we propose a method for measuring aggregation at different scales in the host population. We use the method to characterize the pattern of aggregation of the tick Ixodes uriae on chicks of its seabird host, the Kittiwake Ris...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Parasitology
Main Authors: Boulinier, T., Ives, A. R., Danchin, E.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1996
Subjects:
Infectious Diseases
Animal Science and Zoology
Parasitology
rissa tridactyla
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0031182000066166
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0031182000066166
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Summary:SUMMARY Parasites are generally found aggregated among hosts. In this paper we propose a method for measuring aggregation at different scales in the host population. We use the method to characterize the pattern of aggregation of the tick Ixodes uriae on chicks of its seabird host, the Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla . We found evidence of aggregation at the among-nest scale, but not among chicks within nests. This shows that the processes leading to aggregation occur at a higher scale than the nest. The methods we develop provide a way to compare parasite aggregation at different scales in a quantitative fashion and can be applied in a large number of epidemiological studies.

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