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

寄生虫病是家畜、野生动物和人类健康的重大问题。许多寄生虫是在食血的扁虱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“媒介”。随着全球气候变化，媒介传播的寄生虫预计将会增加。有许多种类的疟疾寄生虫感染爬行动物、鸟类和哺乳动物非常相似。该项目旨在研究一个模型鸽子-苍蝇-疟疾系统，以了解宿主对疟疾寄生虫媒介的防御作用。宿主对媒介的防御可能直接通过阻止媒介摄食或杀死媒介，或通过免疫系统间接发挥作用(类似于疫苗的工作方式)。鸽子至少有两种潜在的宿主防御，一种是行为防御(梳毛)，另一种是免疫防御(针对媒介的抗体反应)。将测试每种单独防御苍蝇的效果，以及宿主防御是否协同作用。这些防御措施对苍蝇传播疟疾的影响也将得到测试。如果免疫系统表现出对病媒及其携带的寄生虫的有效防御，这项工作可能会进一步开发抗病媒疫苗。这项研究的更广泛影响包括在病媒生态学和疾病动力学领域培训研究生。本科生和高中生将受益于培训，展示他们的作品，一些人将成为这部作品的出版物的作者。到目前为止，已有6名本科生(2名女性，2名国际学生)和1名高中生接受了与这项工作相关的技术指导和培训，预计还会有更多的学生参与。针对病媒的新控制策略特别令人兴奋，因为病媒通常传播多种寄生虫；因此，保护宿主免受一种病媒的侵袭可以预防多种寄生虫病。

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.