Data from: Parallel telomere shortening in multiple body tissues owing to malaria infection

Several studies have shown associations between shorter telomere length in
blood and weakened immune function, susceptibility to infections, and
increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Recently, we have shown that
malaria accelerates telomere attrition in blood cells and shortens
lifespan in birds. However, the impact of infections on telomere attrition
in different body tissues within an individual is unknown. Here, we tested
whether malarial infection leads to parallel telomere shortening in blood
and tissue samples from different organs. We experimentally infected
siskins (Spinus spinus) with the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium
ashfordi, and used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
to measure telomere length in control and experimentally infected siskins.
We found that experimentally infected birds showed faster telomere
attrition in blood over the course of infection compared with control
individuals (repeatedly measured over 105 days post-infection (DPI)).
Shorter telomeres were also found in the tissue of all six major organs
investigated (liver, lungs, spleen, heart, kidney, and brain) in infected
birds compared with controls at 105 DPI. To the best of our knowledge,
this is the first study showing that an infectious disease results in
synchronous telomere shortening in the blood and tissue cells of internal
organs within individuals, implying that the infection induces systemic
stress. Our results have far-reaching implications for understanding how
the short-term effects of an infection can translate into long-term costs,
such as organ dysfunction, degenerative diseases, and ageing.