Monitoring and early detection of emerging infectious diseases in wild animals is of crucial global importance, yet reliable ways to measure immune status and responses are lacking for animals in the wild. Here we assess the usefulness of bio-loggers for detecting disease outbreaks in free-living birds and confirm detailed responses using leukocyte composition and large-scale transcriptomics. We simulated natural infections by viral and bacterial pathogens in captive mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), an important natural vector for avian influenza virus. We show that body temperature, heart rate and leukocyte composition change reliably during an acute phase immune response. Using genome-wide gene expression profiling of whole blood across time points we confirm that immunostimulants activate pathogen-specific gene regulatory networks. By reporting immune response related changes in physiological and behavioural traits that can be studied in free-ranging populations, we provide baseline information with importance to the global monitoring of zoonotic diseases.

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Variations in B cell numbers are associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) through unknown mechanisms. Here we demonstrate that B cells may not be central mediators of PCOS pathology, and that their frequencies are altered as a direct effect of androgen receptor activation. Hyperandrogenic women with PCOS have increased frequencies of age-associated double negative B memory cells and increased levels of circulating immunoglobulin M (IgM). However, transfer of serum IgG from women into wild-type female mice induces only an increase in body weight. Furthermore, RAG1 knock-out mice, which lack mature T- and B-cells, fail to develop any phenotype. Co-treatment with flutamide, an androgen receptor antagonist, prevents increased B cell numbers induced by dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Finally, B cell-deficient mice, when exposed to DHT, are not protected from developing a PCOS-like phenotype. These results urge further studies on their functions and their effects on autoimmune comorbidities highly prevalent among women with PCOS.

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