PMID- 14653540
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20040217
LR  - 20190818
IS  - 0031-1820 (Print)
IS  - 0031-1820 (Linking)
VI  - 127
IP  - Pt 5
DP  - 2003 Nov
TI  - Host immune status affects maturation time in two nematode species--but not as 
      predicted by a simple life-history model.
PG  - 507-12
AB  - In theory, the age at which maturation occurs in parasitic nematodes is inversely 
      related to pre-maturational mortality rate, and cross-species data on mammalian 
      nematodes are consistent with this prediction. Immunity is a major source of 
      parasite mortality and parasites stand to gain sizeable fitness benefits through 
      short-term adjustments of maturation time in response to variation in 
      immune-mediated mortality. The effects of thymus-dependent immune responses on 
      maturation in the nematode parasites Strongyloides ratti and Nippostrongylus 
      brasiliensis were investigated using congenitally thymus-deficient (nude) rats. 
      As compared with worms in normal rats, reproductive maturity of parasites 
      (presence of eggs in utero) in nude rats occurred later in S. ratti but earlier 
      in N. brasiliensis. Immune-mediated differences in maturation time were not 
      associated with differences in worm length. Thymus-dependent immunity had no 
      effect on prematurational mortality. Results are discussed in relation to 
      theoretical expectations and possible explanations for the observed patterns in 
      parasite maturation.
FAU - Guinnee, M A
AU  - Guinnee MA
AD  - Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, West 
      Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK. meghan.gannon@ed.ac.uk
FAU - Gemmill, A W
AU  - Gemmill AW
FAU - Chan, B H K
AU  - Chan BH
FAU - Viney, M E
AU  - Viney ME
FAU - Read, A F
AU  - Read AF
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
PL  - England
TA  - Parasitology
JT  - Parasitology
JID - 0401121
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Disease Models, Animal
MH  - Feces/parasitology
MH  - Female
MH  - Host-Parasite Interactions
MH  - Nippostrongylus/*growth & development/immunology
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Nude
MH  - Strongylida Infections/*immunology/parasitology
MH  - Strongyloides ratti/*growth & development/immunology
MH  - Strongyloidiasis/*immunology/parasitology
EDAT- 2003/12/05 05:00
MHDA- 2004/02/18 05:00
CRDT- 2003/12/05 05:00
PHST- 2003/12/05 05:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2004/02/18 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2003/12/05 05:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1017/s0031182003003998 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Parasitology. 2003 Nov;127(Pt 5):507-12. doi: 10.1017/s0031182003003998.