title: The vomeronasal system mediates sick conspecific avoidance.
abstract: Although sociability offers many advantages, a major drawback is the increased risk of exposure to contagious pathogens, like parasites, viruses, or bacteria. Social species have evolved various behavioral strategies reducing the probability of pathogen exposure. In rodents, sick conspecific avoidance can be induced by olfactory cues emitted by parasitized or infected conspecifics. The neural circuits involved in this behavior remain largely unknown. We observed that olfactory cues present in bodily products of mice in an acute inflammatory state or infected with a viral pathogen are aversive to conspecifics. We found that these chemical signals trigger neural activity in the vomeronasal system, an olfactory subsystem controlling various innate behaviors. Supporting the functional relevance of these observations, we show that preference toward healthy individuals is abolished in mice with impaired vomeronasal function. These findings reveal a novel function played by the vomeronasal system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Madlaina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boillat
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ludivine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Challet
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rossier
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Chenda
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kan
authors.affiliation: Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland; Department of Basic Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carleton
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva 1205, Switzerland. Electronic address: ivan.rodriguez@unige.ch.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D003463:Cues; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus / Q000502:physiology; D009812:Odorants; D055696:Olfactory Perception; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D012919:Social Behavior; D014556:Urine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000821:virology; D019147:Vomeronasal Organ / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides