The Immunological Basis for Disease Dilution
18
The Immunological Basis for Disease Dilution Sheena Wheeler Dr. Anna Jolles
description
The Immunological Basis for Disease Dilution. Sheena Wheeler Dr. Anna Jolles. RELEVANCE. Many human diseases are transmitted from non-human animals ( Zoonotic diseases) Some species are better at transmitting diseases than others Biodiversity is important to ecosystem services. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of The Immunological Basis for Disease Dilution
The Immunological Basis for Disease Dilution
Sheena WheelerDr. Anna Jolles
•Many human diseases are transmitted from non-human animals (Zoonotic diseases)
•Some species are better at transmitting diseases than others
•Biodiversity is important to ecosystem services
RELEVANCE
BACKGROUNDDisease Dilution: Empirical Findings
high biodiversity = reduced risk of disease low biodiversity = increased risk of disease
Sin Nombre Virus in Deer Mice (Laurie J. Dizney)
BACKGROUND
BIODIVERSITY =
= DISEASE
Why is the deer mouse good at transmitting disease?
HYPOTHESIS
We hypothesize that short-lived species invest less in certain aspects of their immune system, which may make them better at transmitting diseases.
Ex: VS.
MY OBJECTIVE
To examine the immune differences between short-lived and long-lived rodent species
METHODS: FIELD
1. Trap different rodent species throughout Oregon (Sherman and Tomahawk traps)
2. Collect blood, feces, and ectoparasites from each rodent
3. Ear tag, measure, weigh and release
TRAPPING LOCATIONS1. Local
2. Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
3. Willamette National Forest
4. Steens Mountain Eastern OR
MY OBJECTIVE
To examine the immune differences between short-lived and long-lived rodent species
1.Determine the differences in white blood cell composition between rodent species.
BACKGROUNDWhite blood cells (WBC): travel in bloodstream to infected areas and destroy responsible bacteria
Complete Blood Count:• Determine numbers and types of white
blood cells (WBC) in an animalGood general way to see how the immune system of an animal functions
WBC BACTERIA
METHODS: LAB1. Perform complete blood counts (CBC) on each
rodent:A) White blood cell counts
B) Cell differentiation
Lymphocyte Neutrophil Band Monocyte Eosinophil Basophil
MY OBJECTIVE
Examine the immune differences between short-lived and long-lived rodent species
1.Determine the differences in blood cell composition between rodent species.
2.Evaluate the health of different rodent species via fecal parasite analysis.
METHODS: LAB1. Fecal Float to examine the types of parasite eggs
2. Fecal McMasters to count the different parasite eggs within the feces
PICTURES
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Table 1: Average and standard deviation of total white blood cells/μl for six species of rodents.
1. Complete Blood Counts
Species Sample Size Average WBC/μl St. Dev. WBC
California Ground Squirrel 10 10234.57 6270.63
Chipmunk 3 8666.67Dusky Footed Woodrat 9 8812.5 2863.89
Norway Rat 8 3581.11 3821.13
Black Rat 2 9527.78 2710.58
Deer Mouse 79 3488.48 2360.07
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Table 2: Percent of species with fecal parasites and percent of each type of parasite in each species.
2. Fecal Analysis
Species Sample SizeFecal Parasites Coccidia Capillaria Other
California Ground Squirrel 10 80.00% 80.00% 10.00% 70.00%Chipmunk 3 100% 100% 0% 0%
Dusky Footed Woodrat 9 100.00% 100.00% 75.00% 0.00%Norway Rat 8 50.00% 67.00% 33.00% 0.00%Deer Mouse 79 25.53% 21.28% 0.00% 0.02%
Pinyon Mouse 4 100.00% 33.00% 0.00% 67.00%
WHAT’S NEXT?• Continue data collection of rodents around
Oregon
• Trap larger/longer lived rodents (beaver, nutria)
• Analyze data
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
Undergraduate Research, Innovation, Scholarship and Creativity(URISC)
Dr. Anna Jolles
Dr. Rhea Hanselmann
Dr. Kevin Ahern
