Long-term maternal effect on offspring immune response in song sparrows Melospiza melodia.

ABSTRACT: Knowledge of the causes of variation in host immunity to parasitic infection and the time-scales over which variation persists, is integral to predicting the evolutionary and epidemiological consequences of host-parasite interactions. It is clear that offspring immunity can be influenced by parental immune experience, for example, reflecting transfer of antibodies from mothers to young offspring. However, it is less clear whether such parental effects persist or have functional consequences over longer time-scales, linking a parent's previous immune experience to future immune responsiveness in fully grown offspring. We used free-living song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) to quantify long-term effects of parental immune experience on offspring immune response. We experimentally vaccinated pa

SUBMITTER: Reid JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1834015 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature