Host behaviour and physiology underpin individual variation in avian influenza virus infection in migratory Bewick's swans Hoye, Bethany J., Fouchier, Ron A. M. and Klaassen, Marcel 2012, Host behaviour and physiology underpin individual variation in avian influenza virus infection in migratory Bewick's swans, Proceedings of the Royal Society B : biological sciences, vol. 279, no. 1728, pp. 529-534. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title Host behaviour and physiology underpin individual variation in avian influenza virus infection in migratory Bewick's swans Author(s) Hoye, Bethany J. orcid.org/0000-0001-9502-5582 Fouchier, Ron A. M. Klaassen, Marcel orcid.org/0000-0003-3907-9599 Journal name Proceedings of the Royal Society B : biological sciences Volume number 279 Issue number 1728 Start page 529 End page 534 Total pages 6 Publisher Royal Society Publishing Place of publication London, England Publication date 2012-02-07 ISSN 0962-8452 Keyword(s) antibody habitat use host-parasite interactions nucleoprotein Predisposition Zoonotic Summary Individual variation in infection modulates both the dynamics of pathogens and their impact on host populations. It is therefore crucial to identify differential patterns of infection and understand the mechanisms responsible. Yet our understanding of infection heterogeneity in wildlife is limited, even for important zoonotic host-pathogen systems, owing to the intractability of host status prior to infection. Using novel applications of stable isotope ecology and eco-immunology, we distinguish antecedent behavioural and physiological traits associated with avian influenza virus (AIV) infection in free-living Bewick's swans (Cygnus columbianus bewickii). Swans infected with AIV exhibited higher serum δ13C (-25.3 ± 0.4) than their non-infected counterparts (-26.3±0.2). Thus, individuals preferentially foraging in aquatic rather than terrestrial habitats experienced a higher risk of infection, suggesting that the abiotic requirements of AIV give rise to heterogeneity in pathogen exposure. Juveniles were more likely to be infected (30.8% compared with 11.3% for adults), shed approximately 15-fold higher quantity of virus and exhibited a lower specific immune response than adults. Together, these results demonstrate the potential for heterogeneity in infection to have a profound influence on the dynamics of pathogens, with concomitant impacts on host habitat selection and fitness. Language eng Field of Research 060299 Ecology not elsewhere classified Socio Economic Objective 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal Copyright notice ©2011, The Royal Society Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30044379 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment School of Life and Environmental Sciences Centre for Integrative Ecology Related Links Link Description Connect to published version (restricted access) Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Thu, 05 Apr 2012, 16:12:13 EST Fri, 04 May 2012, 09:11:52 EST Fri, 04 May 2012, 09:13:03 EST Mon, 17 Jun 2013, 17:38:26 EST Mon, 02 Jun 2014, 12:45:53 EST Wed, 27 Aug 2014, 22:59:07 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 38 times in TR Web of Science Cited 39 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 709 Abstract Views, 5 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Thu, 05 Apr 2012, 16:12:13 EST