title: For Host's Sake: The Pluses of Parasite Preservation.
abstract: Conservation biologists now realize that parasites of endangered hosts should be conserved for their own sake and as part of their host's natural environment. But parasites should also be conserved because parasitic exposure might be crucial to the host's development of a fully functional immune system and hence to the survival of the host.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. Electronic address: hamish.spencer@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Hamish G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zuk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D010271:Parasites
keywords: conservation management; disease; hygiene hypothesis; immune system