Acquired immunity protects against helminth infection in a natural host population: Long-term field and laboratory evidence

Citation

Tinsley RC, Stott LC, York JE, Everard ALE, Chapple SJ, Jackson J, Viney M & Tinsley MC (2012) Acquired immunity protects against helminth infection in a natural host population: Long-term field and laboratory evidence. International Journal for Parasitology, 42 (10), pp. 931-938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2012.07.006

Abstract
Long-term records of parasite infection are rare for individuals in wild host populations. This study, on an introduced population of Xenopus laevis in Wales, demonstrates powerful control by acquired immunity of the monogenean, Protopolystoma xenopodis. Field evidence was based on a 10 year dataset for 619 individually-marked hosts screened at each capture for patent (egg-producing) infection. The adult parasite population occurred predominantly in juvenile hosts. Invasion began rapidly ‘post-birth' (in early tadpoles). Longitudinal records for animals aged ⩾15 years showed that, after loss of this primary infection, most hosts had strong resistance to re-infection. For ca. 80% of the population, no infections were recorded during adult life; for ca. 15%, there were isolated brief episodes of patent infection; for ca. 5%, parasites persisted as repeated short-term or chronic long-term infections. Acquired immunity was confirmed by laboratory challenge infection of wild-caught X. laevis: in 30/32 exposures, no parasites survived to maturity; in the two infected, development was retarded. Parasite persistence depends principally on host recruitment generating naïve young (as in human measles). In some hosts, retarded parasite development delays reproduction for several years: these infections show ‘Typhoid Mary' characteristics, persisting in ‘latent' form with potential to initiate epidemics in naïve cohorts.

Journal
International Journal for Parasitology: Volume 42, Issue 10

People

Professor Matthew Tinsley

Professor, Biological and Environmental Sciences