Collaborative Research: SGER: Microparasite-Macroparasite Interactions - A Case Study of Bovine TB and Gastrointestinal Nematode Infections in African Buffalo

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Parasites and infectious diseases are increasingly being recognized as important factors driving mammalian ecology and evolution, and parasite co-infections can modify the effects of infectious disease on hosts in several ways. In humans, increasing evidence suggests that macroparasite (helminth) infections influence the susceptibility to and severity of microparasitic infections such as HIV and TB. However, much less is known about micro- and macroparasite interactions in wildlife, despite the high prevalence of co-infections in many natural systems. This research will examine interactions between gastrointestinal nematode infections and bovine tuberculosis in African buffalo at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa. Free-ranging TB-negative buffalo will be treated with a long-lasting anthelmintic drug in order to (1) test the effects of nematode removal on host susceptibility to TB infection by evaluating changes in host body condition and immunological parameters in response to treatment; and (2) determine the impact of treatment on TB transmission by comparing TB transmission rates in treated and untreated animals. By linking observed micro- and macroparasite infection patterns with underlying immunological, physiological and population dynamic mechanisms, this work will broaden understanding of the role parasite interactions play in the dynamics of infectious diseases in wildlife.