Noise pollution: acute noise exposure increases susceptibility to disease and chronic exposure reduces host survival

Anthropogenic noise is a pervasive global pollutant that has been detected
in every major habitat on the planet. Detrimental impacts of noise
pollution on physiology, immunology and behaviour have been shown in
terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates. Equivalent research on aquatic
organisms has until recently been stunted by the misnomer of a silent
underwater world. In fish, however, noise pollution can lead to stress,
hearing loss, behavioural changes and impacted immmunity. But, the
functional effects of impacted immunity on disease resistance due to noise
exposure have remained neglected. Parasites that cause transmissible
disease are key drivers of ecosystem biodiversity and a significant factor
limiting the sustainable expansion of the animal trade. Therefore,
understanding how a pervasive stressor is impacting host-parasite
interactions will have far reaching implications for global animal
health.   Here, we investigated the impact of acute and
chronic noise on vertebrate susceptibility to parasitic infections, using
a model host-parasite system (guppy-Gyrodactylus turnbulli). Hosts
experiencing acute noise suffered significantly increased parasite burden
compared to those in no noise treatments. In contrast, fish experiencing
chronic noise had the lowest parasite burden. However, these hosts died
significantly earlier compared to those exposed to acute and no noise
treatments, demonstrating a potential functional trade-off between
improved parasite-resistance and shorter life span. By revealing the
detrimental impacts of acute and chronic noise on host-parasite
interactions, we add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating a link
between noise pollution and reduced animal health.