Infection-induced behavioural changes reduce connectivity and the potential for disease spread in wild mice contact networks

Infection may modify the behaviour of the host and of its conspecifics in a group, potentially altering social connectivity. Because many infectious diseases are transmitted through social contact, social connectivity changes can impact transmission dynamics. Previous approaches to understanding disease transmission dynamics in wild populations were limited in their ability to disentangle different factors that determine the outcome of disease outbreaks. Here we ask how social connectivity is affected by infection and how this relationship impacts disease transmission dynamics. We experimentally manipulated disease status of wild house mice using an immune challenge and monitored social interactions within this free-living population before and after manipulation using automated tracking. The immune-challenged animals showed reduced connectivity to their social groups, which happened as a function of their own behaviour, rather than through conspecific avoidance. We incorporated these d...感染可改变宿主及其所在群体内同种个体的行为，进而可能改变社会连接性（social connectivity）。由于多数传染病通过社会接触传播，社会连接性的变化会对疾病传播动力学（transmission dynamics）产生影响。此前针对野生种群疾病传播动力学的研究方法，在厘清决定疾病暴发结局的各类影响因素方面存在局限。本研究旨在探讨感染对社会连接性的影响，以及该关联如何作用于疾病传播动力学。我们通过免疫激发（immune challenge）实验操控野生小家鼠的疾病状态，并利用自动追踪技术，对该自由活动种群在操控前后的社会互动进行监测。经免疫激发的个体与其社会群体的连接性显著降低，该现象源于其自身行为的变化，而非同种个体的回避行为。我们将这些……