Associations between Toxoplasma gondii infection and steroid hormone levels in spotted hyenas.

Autor:	Laubach ZM; Michigan State University, Department of Integrative Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, MI, USA.; University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, CO, USA.; Mara Hyena Project, Kenya., Gering E; Nova Southeastern University, Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, FL, USA., Yang E; Nova Southeastern University, Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, FL, USA., Montgomery TM; Mara Hyena Project, Kenya.; Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Konstanz, Germany., Getty T; Michigan State University, Department of Integrative Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, MI, USA., Holekamp KE; Michigan State University, Department of Integrative Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, MI, USA.; Mara Hyena Project, Kenya.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife [Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl] 2021 Nov 29; Vol. 17, pp. 53-59. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Nov 29 (Print Publication: 2022).
DOI:	10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.11.007
Abstrakt:	Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite that infects warm-blooded animals and influences host physiology. T. gondii is known to target the host's central nervous system, affecting circulating levels of steroid hormones, fear-related behaviors, and health, although these effects appear to vary among host taxa. Here, we investigated the relationship between T. gondii infection and levels of plasma testosterone and cortisol within a wild population of spotted hyenas ( Crocuta crocuta , n = 109). In our analyses, we accounted for age and sex via stratified regression analyses. We detected a negative association between circulating plasma testosterone and T. gondii infection among female cubs and subadults as well as adult male hyenas. We found no associations between T. gondii infection and cortisol in any age class or sex group of hyenas. Our work adds to a growing body of literature by characterizing the relationship between T. gondii infection and physiology in a novel host in its natural habitat. In a broader context, our findings indicate that responses to infection vary with characteristics of the host and point to a clear need for additional studies and priorities for future work that include diverse taxa and ecological settings. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. (© 2021 The Authors.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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