Differential association between circulating testosterone and infection risk by several viruses in natural cat populations: a behavioural-mediated effect?

Hellard, Éléonore; Fouchet, David; Rey, Benjamin; Mouchet, Alexia; Poulet, Hervé; Pontier, Dominique

doi:10.1017/s0031182012001862

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 83 publications

(170 reference statements)

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“…This is attributed to sex-related differences in both immune function and behavior. 43 In humans, respiratory disease is more common in males than females at all ages, including infancy. 44 For FHV infection in the present study, the increased risk for males was significant only for cubs with FHV-positive dams.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of clinical feline herpesvirus infection in zoo-housed cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Witte¹,

Lamberski²,

Rideout³

et al. 2017

javma

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OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of and risk factors for clinical feline herpesvirus (FHV) infection in zoo-housed cheetahs and determine whether dam infection was associated with offspring infection. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. ANIMALS 144 cheetah cubs born in 6 zoos from 1988 through 2007. PROCEDURES Data were extracted from the health records of cheetahs and their dams to identify incident cases of clinical FHV infection and estimate incidence from birth to 18 months of age. Univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, controlling for correlations among cheetahs with the same dam, were used to identify risk factors for incident FHV infection. RESULTS Cumulative incidence of FHV infection in cheetah cubs was 35% (50/144). No significant association between dam and offspring infection was identified in any model. Factors identified as significant through multivariable analysis varied by age group. For cheetahs up to 3 months of age, the most important predictor of FHV infection was having a dam that had received a preparturition FHV vaccine regimen that included a modified-live virus vaccine versus a dam that had received no preparturition vaccine. Other risk factors included being from a small litter, being born to a primiparous dam, and male sex. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE This study provided the first population-level characterization of the incidence of and risk factors for FHV infection in cheetahs, and findings confirmed the importance of this disease. Recognition that clinical FHV infection in the dam was not a significant predictor of disease in cubs and identification of other significant factors have implications for disease management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of clinical feline herpesvirus infection in zoo-housed cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Witte¹,

Lamberski²,

Rideout³

et al. 2017

javma

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The effects of sex hormones on immune function: a meta-analysis

et al. 2016

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The effects of sex hormones on immune function have received much attention, especially following the proposal of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis. Many studies, both experimental and correlational, have been conducted to test the relationship between immune function and the sex hormones testosterone in males and oestrogen in females. However, the results are mixed. We conducted four cross-species meta-analyses to investigate the relationship between sex hormones and immune function: (i) the effect of testosterone manipulation on immune function in males, (ii) the correlation between circulating testosterone level and immune function in males, (iii) the effect of oestrogen manipulation on immune function in females, and (iv) the correlation between circulating oestrogen level and immune function in females. The results from the experimental studies showed that testosterone had a medium-sized immunosuppressive effect on immune function. The effect of oestrogen, on the other hand, depended on the immune measure used. Oestrogen suppressed cell-mediated immune function while reducing parasite loads. The overall correlation (meta-analytic relationship) between circulating sex hormone level and immune function was not statistically significant for either testosterone or oestrogen despite the power of meta-analysis. These results suggest that correlational studies have limited value for testing the effects of sex hormones on immune function. We found little evidence of publication bias in the four data sets using indirect tests. There was a weak and positive relationship between year of publication and effect size for experimental studies of testosterone that became non-significant after we controlled for castration and immune measure, suggesting that the temporal trend was due to changes in these moderators over time. Graphical analyses suggest that the temporal trend was due to an increased use of cytokine measures across time. We found substantial heterogeneity in effect sizes, except in correlational studies of testosterone, even after we accounted for the relevant random and fixed factors. In conclusion, our results provide good evidence that testosterone suppresses immune function and that the effect of oestrogen varies depending on the immune measure used.

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Primary study of seroprevalence to virus pathogens in wild felids of South Primorie, Russia

et al. 2018

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Seroprevalence to nine different virus pathogens was estimated for Russian big cats (Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica Temminck, 1844) and far-eastern leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis (Schiegel, 1857))) in Southern Primorie, Russia (n = 25), in 2008–2016. Serum samples from smaller cats (Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx (Linnaeus, 1758)) and far-eastern wildcat (leopard cat) (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus (Elliot, 1871))) were also tested for these pathogens (n = 19) during the same period. Felids of Russian Southern Primorie showed seroprevalence to eight out of nine tested pathogens, including highly dangerous feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukemia virus, and canine distemper virus. Antibodies to feline panleukopenia virus were found to be much more widespread in cats (45%) than antibodies to any other virus. They were detected in samples taken from tigers, leopards, and far-eastern wildcats but not lynxes. Antibodies to pseudorabies virus were detected only in Amur tiger (29%), whose main prey is the most common carrier of the virus (wild boar), unlike for the other studied cats’ species.

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Differential association between circulating testosterone and infection risk by several viruses in natural cat populations: a behavioural-mediated effect?

Cited by 3 publications

References 83 publications

Epidemiology of clinical feline herpesvirus infection in zoo-housed cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Epidemiology of clinical feline herpesvirus infection in zoo-housed cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

The effects of sex hormones on immune function: a meta-analysis

Primary study of seroprevalence to virus pathogens in wild felids of South Primorie, Russia

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