title: Social stress increases the susceptibility to infection in the ant Harpegnathos saltator.
abstract: Aggressive interactions between members of a social group represent an important source of social stress with all its negative follow-ups. We used the ponerine ant Harpegnathos saltator to study the effects of frequent aggressive interactions on the resistance to different stressors. In these ants, removal or death of reproducing animals results in a period of social instability within the colony that is characterized by frequent ritualized aggressive interactions leading to the establishment of a new dominance structure. Animals are more susceptible to infections during this period, whereas their resistance against other stressors remained unchanged. This is associated with a shift from glutathione-S-transferase activities towards glutathione peroxidase activities, which increases the antioxidative capacity at the expense of their immune competence.
authors.affiliation: Kiel University, Zoology, Dept. Molecular Physiology, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Kiel University, Food Sci Res Group, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scharffetter
authors.affiliation: Kiel University, Food Sci Res Group, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Anika E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Kiel University, Food Sci Res Group, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boesch
authors.affiliation: Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bruchhaus
authors.affiliation: Kiel University, Food Sci Res Group, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rimbach
authors.affiliation: Kiel University, Zoology, Dept. Molecular Physiology, Kiel, Germany.|Airway Research Center North (ARCN), Members of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Roeder
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D001000:Ants / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D004885:Erwinia / Q000502:physiology; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D010269:Paraquat / Q000633:toxicity; D012098:Reproduction; D012919:Social Behavior; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D010269:Paraquat