1
|
ASAI T, USUI M, SUGIYAMA M, ANDOH M. A survey of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli prevalence in wild mammals in Japan using antimicrobial-containing media. J Vet Med Sci 2022; 84:1645-1652. [PMID: 36310042 PMCID: PMC9791238 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.22-0415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and resistance genes pose serious human and animal health concerns. Therefore, to control antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in the environment, the status of antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli in a variety of wild mammals and their prevalence were examined using antimicrobial-containing media. In total, 750 isolates were obtained from 274/366 (74.9%) wild mammals, and antimicrobial-resistant E. coli was detected in 37/750 isolates (4.9%) from 7 animal species (26/366 [7.1%] individuals). Using antimicrobial-containing media, 14 cefotaxime (CTX)- and 35 nalidixic acid-resistant isolates were obtained from 5 (1.4%) and 17 (4.6%) individuals, respectively. CTX-resistant isolates carried blaCTX-M-27, blaCTX-M-55, blaCTX-M-1, and blaCMY-2, with multiple resistance genes. Fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates had multiple mutations in the quinolone-resistance determining regions of gyrA and parC or qnrB19. Most resistant isolates exhibited resistance to multiple antimicrobials. The prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria observed in wild mammals was low; however, it is essential to elucidate the causative factors related to the low prevalence and transmission route of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria/resistance genes released from human activities to wild animals and prevent an increase in their frequency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuo ASAI
- The United Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Gifu
University, Gifu, Japan,Correspondence to: Asai T: , Department of Applied
Veterinary Science, The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Gifu University, 1-1
Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193 Japan
| | - Masaru USUI
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University,
Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Michiyo SUGIYAMA
- The United Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Gifu
University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Masako ANDOH
- Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University,
Kagoshima, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Acerini CI, Morris S, Morris A, Kenyon F, McBean D, Pemberton JM, Albery GF. Helminth parasites are associated with reduced survival probability in young red deer. Parasitology 2022; 149:1702-1708. [PMID: 36052566 PMCID: PMC11010593 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182022001111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Helminths are common parasites of wild ungulates that can have substantial costs for growth, mortality and reproduction. Whilst these costs are relatively well documented for mature animals, knowledge of helminths' impacts on juveniles is more limited. Identifying these effects is important because young individuals are often heavily infected, and juvenile mortality is a key process regulating wild populations. Here, we investigated associations between helminth infection and overwinter survival in juvenile wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) on the Isle of Rum, Scotland. We collected fecal samples non-invasively from known individuals and used them to count propagules of 3 helminth taxa (strongyle nematodes, Fasciola hepatica and Elaphostrongylus cervi). Using generalized linear models, we investigated associations between parasite counts and overwinter survival for calves and yearlings. Strongyles were associated with reduced survival in both age classes, and F. hepatica was associated with reduced survival in yearlings, whilst E. cervi infection showed no association with survival in either age class. This study provides observational evidence for fitness costs of helminth infection in juveniles of a wild mammal, and suggests that these parasites could play a role in regulating population dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia I. Acerini
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Sean Morris
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Alison Morris
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Fiona Kenyon
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Midlothian EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - David McBean
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Midlothian EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Josephine M. Pemberton
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Gregory F. Albery
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin 14193, Germany
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Azami-Conesa I, Gómez-Muñoz MT, Martínez-Díaz RA. A Systematic Review (1990-2021) of Wild Animals Infected with Zoonotic Leishmania. Microorganisms 2021; 9:1101. [PMID: 34065456 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9051101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis are neglected diseases caused by several species of Leishmania that affect humans and many domestic and wild animals with a worldwide distribution. The objectives of this review are to identify wild animals naturally infected with zoonotic Leishmania species as well as the organs infected, methods employed for detection and percentage of infection. A literature search starting from 1990 was performed following the PRISMA methodology and 161 reports were included. One hundred and eighty-nine species from ten orders (i.e., Carnivora, Chiroptera, Cingulata, Didelphimorphia, Diprotodontia, Lagomorpha, Eulipotyphla, Pilosa, Primates and Rodentia) were reported to be infected, and a few animals were classified only at the genus level. An exhaustive list of species; diagnostic techniques, including PCR targets; infected organs; number of animals explored and percentage of positives are presented. L. infantum infection was described in 98 wild species and L. (Viania) spp. in 52 wild animals, while L. mexicana, L. amazonensis, L. major and L. tropica were described in fewer than 32 animals each. During the last decade, intense research revealed new hosts within Chiroptera and Lagomorpha. Carnivores and rodents were the most relevant hosts for L. infantum and L. (Viannia) spp., with some species showing lesions, although in most of the studies clinical signs were not reported.
Collapse
|
4
|
Albery GF, Morris A, Morris S, Kenyon F, Nussey DH, Pemberton JM. Fitness Costs of Parasites Explain Multiple Life-History Trade-Offs in a Wild Mammal. Am Nat 2021; 197:324-335. [PMID: 33625970 DOI: 10.1086/712633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractReproduction in wild animals can divert limited resources away from immune defense, resulting in increased parasite burdens. A long-standing prediction of life-history theory states that these parasites can harm the reproductive individual, reducing its subsequent survival and fecundity, producing reproduction-fitness trade-offs. Here, we examined associations among reproductive allocation, immunity, parasitism, and subsequent survival and fecundity in a wild population of individually identified red deer (Cervus elaphus). Using path analysis, we investigated whether costs of lactation in terms of downstream survival and fecundity were mediated by changes in strongyle nematode count and mucosal antibody levels. Lactating females exhibited increased parasite counts, which were in turn associated with substantially decreased fitness in the following year in terms of overwinter survival, fecundity, subsequent calf weight, and parturition date. This study offers observational evidence for parasite regulation of multiple life-history trade-offs, supporting the role of parasites as an important mediating factor in wild mammal populations.
Collapse
|
5
|
Albery GF, Newman C, Ross JB, MacDonald DW, Bansal S, Buesching C. Negative density-dependent parasitism in a group-living carnivore. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20202655. [PMID: 33323092 PMCID: PMC7779509 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals living at high population densities commonly experience greater exposure to disease, leading to increased parasite burdens. However, social animals can benefit immunologically and hygienically from cooperation, and individuals may alter their socio-spatial behaviour in response to infection, both of which could counteract density-related increases in exposure. Consequently, the costs and benefits of sociality for disease are often uncertain. Here, we use a long-term study of a wild European badger population (Meles meles) to investigate how within-population variation in host density determines infection with multiple parasites. Four out of five parasite taxa exhibited consistent spatial hotspots of infection, which peaked among badgers living in areas of low local population density. Combined movement, survival, spatial and social network analyses revealed that parasite avoidance was the likely cause of this negative density dependence, with possible roles for localized mortality, encounter-dilution effects, and micronutrient-enhanced immunity. These findings demonstrate that animals can organize their societies in space to minimize parasite infection, with important implications for badger behavioural ecology and for the control of badger-associated diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Julius Bright Ross
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David W. MacDonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Shweta Bansal
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Christina Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Irving K. Barber Faculty of Sciences, Okanagan Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
van Lieshout SHJ, Sparks AM, Bretman A, Newman C, Buesching CD, Burke T, Macdonald DW, Dugdale HL. Estimation of environmental, genetic and parental age at conception effects on telomere length in a wild mammal. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:296-308. [PMID: 33113164 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Understanding individual variation in fitness-related traits requires separating the environmental and genetic determinants. Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that are thought to be a biomarker of senescence as their length predicts mortality risk and reflect the physiological consequences of environmental conditions. The relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual variation in telomere length is, however, unclear, yet important for understanding its evolutionary dynamics. In particular, the evidence for transgenerational effects, in terms of parental age at conception, on telomere length is mixed. Here, we investigate the heritability of telomere length, using the 'animal model', and parental age at conception effects on offspring telomere length in a wild population of European badgers (Meles meles). Although we found no heritability of telomere length and low evolvability (<0.001), our power to detect heritability was low and a repeatability of 2% across individual lifetimes provides a low upper limit to ordinary narrow-sense heritability. However, year (32%) and cohort (3%) explained greater proportions of the phenotypic variance in telomere length, excluding qPCR plate and row variances. There was no support for cross-sectional or within-individual parental age at conception effects on offspring telomere length. Our results indicate a lack of transgenerational effects through parental age at conception and a low potential for evolutionary change in telomere length in this population. Instead, we provide evidence that individual variation in telomere length is largely driven by environmental variation in this wild mammal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sil H J van Lieshout
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Alexandra M Sparks
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Amanda Bretman
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon, UK
| | - Terry Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon, UK
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Stoffel MA, Acevedo-Whitehouse K, Morales-Durán N, Grosser S, Chakarov N, Krüger O, Nichols HJ, Elorriaga-Verplancken FR, Hoffman JI. Early sexual dimorphism in the developing gut microbiome of northern elephant seals. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:2109-2122. [PMID: 32060961 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The gut microbiome is an integral part of a species' ecology, but we know little about how host characteristics impact its development in wild populations. Here, we explored the role of such intrinsic factors in shaping the gut microbiome of northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) during a critical developmental window of 6 weeks after weaning, when the pups stay ashore without feeding. We found substantial sex differences in the early-life gut microbiome, even though males and females could not yet be distinguished morphologically. Sex and age both explained around 15% of the variation in gut microbial beta diversity, while microbial communities sampled from the same individual showed high levels of similarity across time, explaining another 40% of the variation. Only a small proportion of the variation in beta diversity was explained by health status, assessed by full blood counts, but clinically healthy individuals had a greater microbial alpha diversity than their clinically abnormal peers. Across the post-weaning period, the northern elephant seal gut microbiome was highly dynamic. We found evidence for several colonization and extinction events as well as a decline in Bacteroides and an increase in Prevotella, a pattern that has previously been associated with the transition from nursing to solid food. Lastly, we show that genetic relatedness was correlated with gut microbiome similarity in males but not females, again reflecting early sex differences. Our study represents a naturally diet-controlled and longitudinal investigation of how intrinsic factors shape the early gut microbiome in a species with extreme sex differences in morphology and life history.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin A Stoffel
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.,Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse
- Unit for Basic and Applied Microbiology, School of Natural Sciences, Autonomous University of Queretaro, Queretaro, México.,The Marine Mammal Center, Sausalito, CA, USA
| | - Nami Morales-Durán
- Unit for Basic and Applied Microbiology, School of Natural Sciences, Autonomous University of Queretaro, Queretaro, México
| | - Stefanie Grosser
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Nayden Chakarov
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Oliver Krüger
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Hazel J Nichols
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Fernando R Elorriaga-Verplancken
- Departamento de Pesquerías y Biología Marina, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR-IPN), Instituto Politécnico Nacional, La Paz, Mexico
| | - Joseph I Hoffman
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Kida K, Matsuoka Y, Shimoda T, Matsuoka H, Yamada H, Saito T, Imataki O, Kadowaki N, Noguchi K, Maeda K, Mochizuki Y, Kishimoto T. A Case of Cat-to-Human Transmission of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus. Jpn J Infect Dis 2019; 72:356-358. [PMID: 31366857 DOI: 10.7883/yoken.jjid.2018.526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kouji Kida
- Okayama Prefectural Institute for Environmental Science and Public Health
| | - Yasuhiro Matsuoka
- Okayama Prefectural Institute for Environmental Science and Public Health
| | | | | | - Haruto Yamada
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Okayama Medical Center
| | - Takashi Saito
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Okayama Medical Center
| | - Osamu Imataki
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University
| | - Norimitsu Kadowaki
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University
| | - Keita Noguchi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University
| | - Ken Maeda
- Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University
| | - Yasushi Mochizuki
- Okayama Prefectural Institute for Environmental Science and Public Health
| | - Toshio Kishimoto
- Okayama Prefectural Institute for Environmental Science and Public Health
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hemert CV, Spivey TJ, Uher-Koch BD, Atwood TC, Sinnett DR, Meixell BW, Hupp JW, Jiang K, Adams LG, Gustine DD, Ramey AM, Wan XF. SURVEY OF ARCTIC ALASKAN WILDLIFE FOR INFLUENZA A ANTIBODIES: LIMITED EVIDENCE FOR EXPOSURE OF MAMMALS. J Wildl Dis 2019; 55:387-98. [PMID: 30289331 DOI: 10.7589/2018-05-128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are maintained in wild waterbirds and have the potential to infect a broad range of species, including wild mammals. The Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska supports a diverse suite of species, including waterfowl that are common hosts of IAVs. Mammals co-occur with geese and other migratory waterbirds during the summer breeding season, providing a plausible mechanism for interclass transmission of IAVs. To estimate IAV seroprevalence and identify the subtypes to which geese, loons, Arctic foxes ( Vulpes lagopus), caribou ( Rangifer tarandus), and polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) are potentially exposed, we used a blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) and a hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay to screen for antibodies to IAVs in samples collected during spring and summer of 2012-16. Apparent IAV seroprevalence using the bELISA was 50.3% in geese (range by species: 46-52.8%), 9% in loons (range by species: 3-20%), and 0.4% in Arctic foxes. We found no evidence for exposure to IAVs in polar bears or caribou by either assay. Among geese, we estimated detection probability from replicate bELISA analyses to be 0.92 and also found good concordance (>85%) between results from bELISA and HI assays, which identified antibodies reactive to H1, H6, and H9 subtype IAVs. In contrast, the HI assay detected antibodies in only one of seven loon samples that were positive by bELISA; that sample had low titers to both H4 and H5 IAV subtypes. Our results provide evidence that a relatively high proportion of waterbirds breeding on the Arctic Coastal Plain are exposed to IAVs, although it is unknown whether such exposure occurs locally or on staging or wintering grounds. In contrast, seroprevalence of IAVs in concomitant Arctic mammals is apparently low.
Collapse
|
10
|
Albery GF, Kenyon F, Morris A, Morris S, Nussey DH, Pemberton JM. Seasonality of helminth infection in wild red deer varies between individuals and between parasite taxa. Parasitology 2018; 145:1410-1420. [PMID: 29519265 PMCID: PMC6137381 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182018000185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Parasitism in wild mammals can vary according to myriad intrinsic and extrinsic factors, many of which vary seasonally. However, seasonal variation in parasitism is rarely studied using repeated samples from known individuals. Here we used a wild population of individually recognized red deer (Cervus elaphus) on the Isle of Rum to quantify seasonality and intrinsic factors affecting gastrointestinal helminth parasitism over the course of a year. We collected 1020 non-invasive faecal samples from 328 known individuals which we then analysed for propagules of three helminth taxa: strongyle nematodes, the common liver fluke Fasciola hepatica and the tissue nematode Elaphostrongylus cervi. Zero-inflated Poisson models were used to investigate how season, age and sex were associated with parasite prevalence and count intensity, while Poisson models were used to quantify individual repeatability within and between sampling seasons. Parasite intensity and prevalence varied according to all investigated factors, with opposing seasonality, age profiles and sex biases between parasite taxa. Repeatability was moderate, decreased between seasons and varied between parasites; both F. hepatica and E. cervi showed significant between-season repeatability, while strongyle nematode counts were only repeatable within-season and showed no repeatability within individuals across the year.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory F. Albery
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | - Fiona Kenyon
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Alison Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | - Sean Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | - Daniel H. Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | - Josephine M. Pemberton
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Wilbourn RV, Froy H, McManus MC, Cheynel L, Gaillard JM, Gilot-Fromont E, Regis C, Rey B, Pellerin M, Lemaître JF, Nussey DH. Age-dependent associations between telomere length and environmental conditions in roe deer. Biol Lett 2017; 13:rsbl.2017.0434. [PMID: 28954855 PMCID: PMC5627176 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere length (TL) represents a promising biomarker of overall physiological state and of past environmental experiences, which could help us understand the drivers of life-history variation in natural populations. A growing number of studies in birds suggest that environmental stress or poor environmental conditions are associated with shortened TL, but studies of such relationships in wild mammals are lacking. Here, we compare leucocyte TL from cross-sectional samples collected from two French populations of roe deer which experience different environmental conditions. We found that, as predicted, TL was shorter in the population experiencing poor environmental conditions but that this difference was only significant in older individuals and was independent of sex and body mass. Unexpectedly, the difference was underpinned by a significant increase in TL with age in the population experiencing good environmental conditions, while there was no detectable relationship with age in poor conditions. These results demonstrate both the environmental sensitivity and complexity of telomere dynamics in natural mammal populations, and highlight the importance of longitudinal data to disentangle the within- and among-individual processes that generate them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachael V Wilbourn
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Hannah Froy
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | | | - Louise Cheynel
- CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Emmanuelle Gilot-Fromont
- CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Corinne Regis
- CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Benjamin Rey
- CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Maryline Pellerin
- Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Unité Cervidés-Sanglier, Bar-le-Duc, France
| | - Jean-François Lemaître
- CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| |
Collapse
|