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Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
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Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
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Parasites and Their Social Hosts.

Paul Schmid-Hempel1

  • 1ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH-Zentrum CHN, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland.

Trends in Parasitology
|February 8, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Social group structure, not just size, significantly impacts infection risk in social organisms. Understanding parasite adaptation to social living requires exploring social immunity and microbiota, using advanced genomic and network analysis tools.

Area of Science:

  • Parasitology
  • Social Biology
  • Evolutionary Ecology

Background:

  • Social group size correlates with infection risk, but group structure and contact networks are more critical.
  • Factors like host genetics and environment also influence parasitism in social species.
  • Social immunity, the defense against parasites specific to social living, is a key area of study.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how parasites adapt to social organisms beyond solitary hosts.
  • To explore the role of socially transmitted microbiota in social immunity.
  • To identify key research questions and methodologies for understanding social parasitism.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on sociality and parasitism.
  • Discussion of the importance of social structure and contact networks.

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  • Highlighting the potential of genomic, proteomic, and network analysis tools.

    • Main Results:

    • Group structure is a more significant determinant of infection risk than group size.
    • Socially transmitted microbiota are emerging as important factors in social immunity.
    • Parasite adaptation to social organisms remains poorly understood.

    Conclusions:

    • Further research is needed to understand parasite adaptation in social contexts.
    • Advanced 'omics' and network analyses are crucial for future studies.
    • Expanding conceptual frameworks is essential for advancing the field of social parasitism.