DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Experimental tests of avian behavior and immunological defenses against a malaria vector

寄生虫病对牲畜、野生动物和人类健康都有重大影响。许多寄生虫是在吸血的蜱虫或苍蝇进食时在宿主之间传播的；这些节肢动物通常被称为“带菌者”。随着全球气候变化，预计病媒传播的寄生虫将会增加。有许多种类的疟疾寄生虫感染爬行动物、鸟类和哺乳动物的方式非常相似。本项目旨在研究一个模型鸽子-苍蝇-疟疾系统，以了解宿主防御疟疾寄生虫媒介的作用。宿主对病媒的防御可以直接通过防止病媒进食或杀死病媒，也可以通过免疫系统间接起作用（类似于疫苗的作用方式）。鸽子至少有两种潜在的宿主防御，一种是行为防御（梳理毛发），另一种是免疫防御（针对病媒的抗体反应）。每个单独防御蝇的效果，以及宿主防御是否协同作用将被测试。还将测试这些防御措施对蝇类传播疟疾的影响。如果免疫系统能够有效防御病媒及其携带的寄生虫，这项工作可能会进一步发展抗病媒疫苗。这项研究的更广泛影响包括在媒介生态学和疾病动力学领域培养研究生。本科和高中学生将从培训中受益，展示他们的工作，有些人将成为该工作出版物的作者。到目前为止，已有六名本科生（两名女性，两名国际学生）和一名高中生接受了这项工作相关技术的指导和培训，预计还会有更多学生参与。针对病媒的新控制策略尤其令人兴奋，因为病媒通常传播多种寄生虫；因此，保护宿主免受一种媒介的侵害可以保护宿主免受多种寄生虫病的侵害。

Parasitic diseases are of great concern for livestock, wildlife, and human health. Many parasites are transmitted between hosts when a blood-feeding tick or fly takes a meal; these arthropods are often called "vectors". With global climate change, vector-transmitted parasites are predicted to increase. There are many species of malaria parasites that infect reptiles, birds, and mammals very similarly. This project aims to study a model pigeon-fly-malaria system to understand the role of host defenses against a vector of malaria parasites. Host defenses against vectors may act directly by preventing vector feeding or by killing vectors, or indirectly through the immune system (similarly to the way vaccines work). Pigeons have at least two potential host defenses, one behavioral (preening) and one immunological (antibody response against the vector). The effect of each isolated defense against the fly, and whether the host defenses interact synergistically will be tested. The impact of these defenses on the transmission of malaria by the flies will also be tested. This work may further development of anti-vector vaccines if the immune system presents itself as an effective defense against vectors and the parasites they carry. Broader impacts of this research include training a graduate student in the fields of vector ecology and disease dynamics. Undergraduate and high school students will benefit from training, presenting their work, and some will be authors on publications of this work. Thus far six undergraduates (2 female, 2 international) and one high school student have been mentored and trained in techniques related to this work, with further student involvement anticipated. New control strategies against vectors are particularly exciting because vectors often transmit multiple parasite species; thus protecting hosts from one vector could protect against multiple parasitic diseases.