title: The blood parasite Haemoproteus reduces survival in a wild bird: a medication experiment.
abstract: While avian chronic haemoparasite infections induce reproductive costs, infection has not previously been shown to affect survival. Here, we experimentally reduced, through medication, the intensity of infection by Haemoproteus parasites in wild-breeding female blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus. However, this treatment did not reduce the intensity of infection in males or the intensity of infection by Leucocytozoon. Medicated females, but not males, showed increased local survival until the next breeding season compared with control birds. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical evidence showing long-term direct survival costs of chronic Haemoproteus infections in wild birds.
authors.affiliation: Departamento Ecología Evolutiva, M.N.C.N.-C.S.I.C., C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 8006 Madrid, Spain. jmp@mncn.csic.es
authors.forename: Josué Martínez-de
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: la Puente
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merino
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomás
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lobato
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: García-Fraile
authors.forename: Eduardo Jorge
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Belda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D016787:Haemosporida / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008297:Male; D046109:Passeriformes / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000977:Antiparasitic Agents