Juvenile agile frogs spatially avoid ranavirus-infected conspecifics.

ABSTRACT: Exposure to contagious pathogens can result in behavioural changes, which can alter the spread of infectious diseases. Healthy individuals can express generalized social distancing or avoid the sources of infection, while infected individuals can show passive or active self-isolation. Amphibians are globally threatened by contagious diseases, yet their behavioural responses to infections are scarcely known. We studied behavioural changes in agile frog (Rana dalmatina) juveniles upon exposure to a Ranavirus (Rv) using classic choice tests. We found that both non-infected and Rv-infected focal individuals spatially avoided infected conspecifics, while there were no signs of generalized social distancing, nor self-isolation. Avoidance of infected conspecifics may effectively hinder disease tr

SUBMITTER: Herczeg D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11471862 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature