Tapeworm infection affects sleep-like behavior in three-spined sticklebacks

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Ecology
• Immunology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Sleep is crucial for bodily functions and is reciprocally linked with immunity.
• While viral and bacterial infections affect sleep, the impact of macro-parasites remains unclear.
• Measuring sleep in non-model organisms presents significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of macro-parasitic infection on host sleep-like behavior.
• To explore the relationship between macro-parasites, immunity, and sleep in fish.
• To identify potential genetic underpinnings of infection-induced behavioral changes.

Main Methods:

• Experimental infection of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) with the tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus.
• Utilizing a hidden Markov model to quantify sleep-like behavior in fish.
• Employing brain transcriptomics to analyze gene expression related to immunity and sleep.

Main Results:

• No significant changes in sleep-like behavior were observed in infected fish 1-4 days post-exposure.
• By 29-32 days post-exposure, infected fish exhibited increased sleep-like behavior compared to controls.
• Exposed-but-not-infected fish showed reduced sleep-like behavior, indicating a non-parasite-specific effect.

Conclusions:

• Macro-parasitic infections can significantly alter host sleep-like behavior in fish.
• The study identifies potential immune- and sleep-associated genes involved in these behavioral modifications.
• Findings contribute to understanding the intricate interplay between macro-parasites, immunity, and sleep.