Immunocompetence and its costs during development: an experimental study in blue tit nestlings

Brommer, Jon E.

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2003.0103

Cited by 137 publications

(145 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…This provides further support for a trade-off between immunocompetence and growth (Soler et al, 2003;Brommer, 2004). In response to exposure to antigens, macrophages release inflammatory cytokines and provoke an inflammatory response.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, maternal antibodies may provide offspring with the benefits of immune defense without the growth suppressive costs of generating an endogenous immune response. Several previous studies have documented suppressive effects of natural infection or experimental immunization on the growth of young animals (Klasing et al, 1987;Fair et al, 1999;Soler et al, 2003;Brommer, 2004). Because differentiation of the specific immune response is largely determined by exposure to antigens, it is poorly developed in neonatal vertebrates with little previous antigenic exposure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Maternal antibodies reduce costs of an immune response during development

Grindstaff

2008

Journal of Experimental Biology

120

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SUMMARYYoung vertebrates are dependent primarily on innate immunity and maternally derived antibodies for immune defense. This reliance on innate immunity and the associated inflammatory response often leads to reduced growth rates after antigenic challenge. However, if offspring have maternal antibodies that recognize an antigen, these antibodies should block stimulation of the inflammatory response and reduce growth suppression. To determine whether maternal and/or offspring antigen exposure affect antibody transmission and offspring growth, female Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and their newly hatched chicks were immunized. Mothers were immunized with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), killed avian reovirus vaccine (AR), or were given a control, phosphate-buffered saline, injection. Within each family, one-third of offspring were immunized with LPS, one-third were immunized with AR, and one-third were given the control treatment. Maternal immunization significantly affected the specific types of antibodies that were transmitted. In general, immunization depressed offspring growth. However, offspring immunized with the same antigen as their mother exhibited elevated growth in comparison to siblings immunized with a different antigen. This suggests that the growth suppressive effects of antigen exposure during development can be partially ameliorated by the presence of maternal antibodies, but in the absence of specific maternal antibodies, offspring are dependent on more costly innate immune defenses. Together, the results suggest that the local disease environment of mothers prior to reproduction significantly affects maternal antibody transmission and these maternal antibodies may allow offspring to partially maintain growth during infection in addition to providing passive humoral immune defense.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal antibodies reduce costs of an immune response during development

Grindstaff

2008

Journal of Experimental Biology

120

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“…Different studies have demonstrated in birds that an immune challenge during development was responsible for a reduction in the growth rate [25,26], which is known to influence the fitness of nestlings [27]. However, those studies have mostly focused on innate immune mechanisms, and the potential role of the transfer of maternal antibodies as a mechanism favouring chick growth in the face of parasitic challenge has often been neglected (but see [28]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal antibody persistence: a neglected life-history trait with implications from albatross conservation to comparative immunology

et al. 2011

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The evolution of different life-history strategies has been suggested as a major force constraining physiological mechanisms such as immunity. In some long-lived oviparous species, a prolonged persistence of maternal antibodies in offspring could thus be expected in order to protect them over their long growth period. Here, using an intergenerational vaccination design, we show that specific maternal antibodies can display an estimated half-life of 25 days post-hatching in the nestlings of a long-lived bird. This temporal persistence is much longer than previously known for birds and it suggests specific properties in the regulation of IgY immunoglobulin catabolism in such a species. We also show that maternal antibodies in the considered procellariiform species are functional as late as 20 days of age. Using a modelling approach, we highlight that the potential impact of such effects on population viability could be important, notably when using vaccination for conservation. These results have broad implications, from comparative immunology to evolutionary eco-epidemiology and conservation biology.

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“…Because of the potential costs associated with the production and maintenance of immune response (Moller et al 1998; but see Klasing 1998), we also examined the relationship between immune response and condition or size. We did not, however, predict the direction of the relationship, because some studies suggest a positive correlation between condition and immune response (Moller et al 1998;Blanco et al 2001), whereas others suggest a trade-off between growth and immune response (Brommer 2004 Clark et al 2006). Crows in this population are socially monogamous, and family groups usually contain auxiliaries of either sex, most of which help to provision the incubating females, nestlings and fledgelings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Condition, innate immunity and disease mortality of inbred crows

et al. 2010

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Cooperatively breeding American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) suffer a severe disease-mediated survival cost from inbreeding, but the proximate mechanisms linking inbreeding to disease are unknown. Here, we examine indices of nestling body condition and innate immunocompetence in relationship to inbreeding and disease mortality. Using an estimate of microsatellite heterozygosity that predicts inbreeding in this population, we show that inbred crows were in relatively poor condition as nestlings, and that body condition index measured in the first 2-33 days after hatching, in addition to inbreeding index, predicted disease probability in the first 34 months of life. Inbred nestlings also mounted a weaker response along one axis of innate immunity: the proportion of bacteria killed in a microbiocidal assay increased as heterozygosity index increased. Relatively poor body condition and low innate immunocompetence are two mechanisms that might predispose inbred crows to ultimate disease mortality. A better understanding of condition-mediated inbreeding depression can guide efforts to minimize disease costs of inbreeding in small populations.

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Immunocompetence and its costs during development: an experimental study in blue tit nestlings

Cited by 137 publications

References 21 publications

Maternal antibodies reduce costs of an immune response during development

Maternal antibodies reduce costs of an immune response during development

Maternal antibody persistence: a neglected life-history trait with implications from albatross conservation to comparative immunology

Condition, innate immunity and disease mortality of inbred crows

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