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      Variation of parasitism patterns in bats during hibernation: the effect of host species, resources, health status, and hibernation period

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          Abstract

          During critical periods of food shortage or variable climatic conditions, the choice of an appropriate host can increase the survival and reproductive performance of parasites. In turn, one of the unique adaptations to periodical food shortages is hibernation, which is often found among insectivorous bat species in the temperate zone. While hibernating, bats are completely defenseless against both predators and ectoparasites, their immune and endocrine systems are diminished, and survival is dependent on the accumulated fat reserves. Differences in the health status or in the rate of consumption of the resources might also explain species-specific differences in ectoparasite abundance, especially between closely related host species, such as the greater mouse-eared bat ( Myotis myotis) and the lesser mouse-eared bat ( M. blythii) during hibernation. In the present study, the abundance of two ecologically distinct (summer and winter) types of ectoparasites was examined in terms of its influence on the body condition and hemoglobin content of the two host species. The effects of demographic factors, such as host sex and age, were also investigated. Despite a similar pattern of deteriorating body condition and hemoglobin concentration, M. myotis was more parasitized than was M. blythii. The marked decrease in hemoglobin content in first-year females of both host species correlated with the highest parasite load and indicated a risk of anemia. At the intraspecific level, ectoparasite abundance was not correlated with body condition (resources), but it negatively affected hemoglobin content; however, this mostly concerned M. blythii, which had a lower parasite load. Therefore, it can be concluded that interspecific differences in ectoparasite abundance may result from parasites selecting the host species that is less sensitive to their activity. In turn, in summer ectoparasites, the preference for female hosts is probably attributable to the likelihood of reinfection rather than to an effect of host resources or health status. The absence of sex-based preferences in winter ectoparasites could be explained by equal host availability.

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          Hormonal and immunological mechanisms mediating sex differences in parasite infection.

          S L Klein (2004)
          The prevalence and intensity of infections caused by protozoa, nematodes, trematodes, cestodes, and arthropods is higher in males than females. The primary thesis of this review is that immunological differences exist between the sexes that may underlie increased parasitism in males compared to females. Several field and laboratory studies link sex differences in immune function with circulating steroid hormones; thus, the roles of sex steroids, including testosterone, oestradiol, and progesterone, as well as glucocorticoids will be discussed. Not only can host hormones affect responses to infection, but parasites can both produce and alter hormone concentrations in their hosts. The extent to which changes in endocrine-immune interactions following infection are mediated by the host or the parasite will be considered. Although males are more susceptible than females to many parasites, there are parasites for which males are more resistant than females and endocrine-immune interactions may underlie this sex reversal. Finally, although immunological differences exist between the sexes, genetic and behavioural differences may explain some variability in response to infection and will be explored as alternative hypotheses for how differences between the sexes contribute to dimorphic responses to parasites.
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            Blood-feeding arthropods: live syringes or invertebrate pharmacologists?

            J Ribeiro (1995)
            The habit of blood feeding evolved independently several times among the > 14,000 species and 400 genera of hematophagous arthropods. The specific need to remove blood from the host's skin led to sophisticated mechanical adaptations in invertebrate mouthparts. Moreover, the need to counteract the vertebrate host's hemostasis led to the evolution of salivary antihemostatic compounds injected into the host by these same mouthparts. The convergent evolution scenario for hematophagy has resulted in a large diversity of salivary anticlotting, antiplatelet, and vasodilatory substances. Thus, in addition to excelling as phlebotomists, hematophagous arthropods excel as pharmacologists.
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              Sources of variation in haematocrit in birds

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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                tpostawa@gmail.com
                Journal
                Parasitol Res
                Parasitol. Res
                Parasitology Research
                Springer Berlin Heidelberg (Berlin/Heidelberg )
                0932-0113
                1432-1955
                30 May 2016
                30 May 2016
                2016
                : 115
                : 10
                : 3767-3778
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków, Poland
                [2 ]Foundation for School, Densusianu Str. 6/A, 400428 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
                Article
                5138
                10.1007/s00436-016-5138-7
                5040749
                27240839
                0fcfa376-ba44-4218-b8d3-80853024c414
                © The Author(s) 2016

                Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

                History
                : 1 March 2016
                : 17 May 2016
                Categories
                Original Paper
                Custom metadata
                © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016

                Parasitology
                hemoglobin,hibernation,mouse-eared bats,parasite infection,resources
                Parasitology
                hemoglobin, hibernation, mouse-eared bats, parasite infection, resources

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