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Updated: Mar 16, 2026
Behavioral Phenotyping of Murine Disease Models with the Integrated Behavioral Station INBEST
Published on: April 23, 2015
Infection-induced behavioural changes reduce connectivity and the potential for disease spread in wild mice contact
Patricia C Lopes1, Per Block2, Barbara König1
1Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
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 disease-induced changes of social connectivity among individuals into models of disease outbreaks over the empirically-derived networks. The models revealed that changes in host behaviour frequently resulted in the disease being contained to very few animals, as opposed to becoming widespread. Our results highlight the importance of considering the role that behavioural alterations during infection can have on social dynamics when evaluating the potential for disease outbreaks.
Insights
Infection alters host behavior, reducing social connectivity in wild house mice. This behavioral change can limit disease spread within populations, impacting disease transmission dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Epidemiology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Infectious diseases spread through social contact, making social connectivity crucial for transmission dynamics.
- Understanding disease spread in wild populations requires disentangling factors influencing social interactions and connectivity.
- Host behavior modification during infection can significantly alter social networks and disease transmission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how infection affects social connectivity in wild house mice.
- To determine the impact of infection-induced behavioral changes on disease transmission dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Experimental immune challenge in free-living wild house mice to simulate infection.
- Automated tracking of social interactions to monitor connectivity before and after the immune challenge.
- Modeling disease outbreak dynamics using empirically derived social networks incorporating behavioral changes.
Main Results:
- Immune-challenged mice exhibited reduced social connectivity within their groups.
- This reduction in connectivity was driven by changes in the infected animals' behavior, not by avoidance from others.
- Modeled disease outbreaks showed that altered social connectivity frequently contained infections to a small number of individuals.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral alterations in hosts due to infection play a critical role in modulating social dynamics.
- Considering infection-induced behavioral changes is essential for accurately predicting disease outbreak potential and transmission in wild populations.
- This study underscores the importance of host behavior in the ecology of infectious diseases.
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