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The drivers and consequences of unstable Plasmodium dynamics: a long-term study of three malaria parasite species infecting a tropical lizard

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2018

Luisa Otero ,
Jos J. Schall ,
Virnaliz Cruz ,
Kristen Aaltonen  and
Miguel A. Acevedo Open the ORCID record for Miguel A. Acevedo [Opens in a new window]
Luisa Otero
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Jos J. Schall
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
Virnaliz Cruz
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Kristen Aaltonen
Affiliation:
Akins High School, Austin, TX, USA
Miguel A. Acevedo*
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Miguel A. Acevedo, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Understanding the consequences of environmental fluctuations for parasite dynamics requires a long-term view stretching over many transmission cycles. Here we studied the dynamics of three malaria parasites (Plasmodium azurophilum, P. leucocytica and P. floridense) infecting the lizard Anolis gundlachi, in the rainforest of Puerto Rico. In this malaria–anole system we evaluated temporal fluctuations in individual probability of infection, the environmental drivers of observed variation and consequences for host body condition and Plasmodium parasites assemblage. We conducted a total of 15 surveys including 10 from 1990 to 2002 and five from 2015 to 2017. During the early years, a lizard's probability of infection by all Plasmodium species appeared stable despite disturbances ranging from two hurricanes to short droughts. Over a longer timescale, probability of infection and overall prevalence varied significantly, following non-linear relationships with temperature and rainfall such that highest prevalence is expected at intermediate climate measures. A perplexing result was that host body condition was maximized at intermediate levels of rainfall and/or temperature (when risk of infection was highest), yet we found no significant decreases in body condition due to infection. Plasmodium parasite species composition varied through time with a reduction and near local extinction of P. floridense. Our results emphasize the need for long-term studies to reveal host–parasite dynamics, their drivers and consequences.

Keywords

Anolisclimate changelong-term disease dynamicsmalariaparasite assemblageprecipitationPuerto Ricotemperature
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 146 , Issue 4 , April 2019 , pp. 453 - 461
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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