Variation in leukocyte indices and immunoglobulin levels according to host density, sex, flea burden and tularemia prevalence in the common vole Microtus arvalis
Abstract Rodent populations often undergo large, regular fluctuations. We studied immunological condition and physiological stress in the common vole and how it varied with environmental factors linked with population fluctuations, namely flea and Francisella tularensis (the bacterium causing tulare...
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Walter de Gruyter GmbH
2024
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090 https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090/xml https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090/pdf |
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crdegruyter:10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090 2024-04-07T07:51:53+00:00 Variation in leukocyte indices and immunoglobulin levels according to host density, sex, flea burden and tularemia prevalence in the common vole Microtus arvalis Mougeot, François Morales, Manuel B. Pérez Álvarez, María José Muñoz López, Miguel Rodríguez-Pastor, Ruth Luque-Larena, Juan José MINECO of Spain The Comunidad de Madrid 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090 https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090/xml https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090/pdf en eng Walter de Gruyter GmbH Mammalia volume 88, issue 2, page 111-121 ISSN 0025-1461 1864-1547 Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics journal-article 2024 crdegruyter https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090 2024-03-08T00:41:13Z Abstract Rodent populations often undergo large, regular fluctuations. We studied immunological condition and physiological stress in the common vole and how it varied with environmental factors linked with population fluctuations, namely flea and Francisella tularensis (the bacterium causing tularemia) prevalence. We used two leukocyte indices, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (N:L) and proportion of eosinophils, as physiological long-term stress indicators, and measured levels of immunoglobulins (Ig) as a generic index of immunological condition. Leukocyte indices showed a hump-shaped relationship with Ig levels, consistent with an interdependence between physiological stress and immunological condition. N:L was negatively associated with vole density only in males. Eosinophil proportion was explained by the interaction between flea burden and tularemia prevalence, with highest levels in flea-infested voles also infected with tularemia. Ig levels did not vary with sex or flea prevalence but increased in tularemia-infected voles. When Ig levels were included as covariates in our models, the associations between leukocyte indices and environmental factors remained significant. Results suggest sex-specific associations between physiological stress and population density, and an influence of tularemia infection depending on ectoparasite load. We recommend using immunological parameters complementarily to leukocyte indices when studying physiological stress and infection dynamics in wild populations. Article in Journal/Newspaper Common vole Microtus arvalis De Gruyter Mammalia 88 2 111 121 |
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Open Polar |
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crdegruyter |
language |
English |
topic |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
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Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics Mougeot, François Morales, Manuel B. Pérez Álvarez, María José Muñoz López, Miguel Rodríguez-Pastor, Ruth Luque-Larena, Juan José Variation in leukocyte indices and immunoglobulin levels according to host density, sex, flea burden and tularemia prevalence in the common vole Microtus arvalis |
topic_facet |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
description |
Abstract Rodent populations often undergo large, regular fluctuations. We studied immunological condition and physiological stress in the common vole and how it varied with environmental factors linked with population fluctuations, namely flea and Francisella tularensis (the bacterium causing tularemia) prevalence. We used two leukocyte indices, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (N:L) and proportion of eosinophils, as physiological long-term stress indicators, and measured levels of immunoglobulins (Ig) as a generic index of immunological condition. Leukocyte indices showed a hump-shaped relationship with Ig levels, consistent with an interdependence between physiological stress and immunological condition. N:L was negatively associated with vole density only in males. Eosinophil proportion was explained by the interaction between flea burden and tularemia prevalence, with highest levels in flea-infested voles also infected with tularemia. Ig levels did not vary with sex or flea prevalence but increased in tularemia-infected voles. When Ig levels were included as covariates in our models, the associations between leukocyte indices and environmental factors remained significant. Results suggest sex-specific associations between physiological stress and population density, and an influence of tularemia infection depending on ectoparasite load. We recommend using immunological parameters complementarily to leukocyte indices when studying physiological stress and infection dynamics in wild populations. |
author2 |
MINECO of Spain The Comunidad de Madrid |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Mougeot, François Morales, Manuel B. Pérez Álvarez, María José Muñoz López, Miguel Rodríguez-Pastor, Ruth Luque-Larena, Juan José |
author_facet |
Mougeot, François Morales, Manuel B. Pérez Álvarez, María José Muñoz López, Miguel Rodríguez-Pastor, Ruth Luque-Larena, Juan José |
author_sort |
Mougeot, François |
title |
Variation in leukocyte indices and immunoglobulin levels according to host density, sex, flea burden and tularemia prevalence in the common vole Microtus arvalis |
title_short |
Variation in leukocyte indices and immunoglobulin levels according to host density, sex, flea burden and tularemia prevalence in the common vole Microtus arvalis |
title_full |
Variation in leukocyte indices and immunoglobulin levels according to host density, sex, flea burden and tularemia prevalence in the common vole Microtus arvalis |
title_fullStr |
Variation in leukocyte indices and immunoglobulin levels according to host density, sex, flea burden and tularemia prevalence in the common vole Microtus arvalis |
title_full_unstemmed |
Variation in leukocyte indices and immunoglobulin levels according to host density, sex, flea burden and tularemia prevalence in the common vole Microtus arvalis |
title_sort |
variation in leukocyte indices and immunoglobulin levels according to host density, sex, flea burden and tularemia prevalence in the common vole microtus arvalis |
publisher |
Walter de Gruyter GmbH |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090 https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090/xml https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090/pdf |
genre |
Common vole Microtus arvalis |
genre_facet |
Common vole Microtus arvalis |
op_source |
Mammalia volume 88, issue 2, page 111-121 ISSN 0025-1461 1864-1547 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2023-0090 |
container_title |
Mammalia |
container_volume |
88 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
111 |
op_container_end_page |
121 |
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1795667006019600384 |