Increase in a Heat-Shock Protein from Blood Cells in Response of Nestling House Martins (Delichon urbica) to Parasitism: An Experimental Approach

• Published in: Oecologia Vol. 116; no. 3; pp. 343 - 347
• Main Authors: Merino, S., Martínez, J., Barbosa, A., Møller, A. P., de Lope, F., Pérez, J., Rodríguez-Caabeiro, F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer-Verlag 01.09.1998; Springer
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal nesting; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Aves; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Blood cells; Delichon urbica; Demecology; Ecophysiology; Evolution; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heat shock proteins; Hemiptera; Infections; Oeciacus hirundinis; Parasite hosts; Parasites; Parasitism; Trypanosome; Vertebrata; Kinetoplastida; Protozoa; Host parasite relation; Delichon urbica; Trypanosoma; Insecta; Nestling; Heteroptera; Vertebrata; Blood cell; Sedimentation rate; Arthropoda; Ectoparasitism; Heat shock protein; Parasitism; Aves; Cimicidae; Invertebrata; Trypanosomes; Key words Disease; Heat-shock protein; Martin bug
• ISSN: 0029-8549; 1432-1939
• DOI: 10.1007/s004420050596

Heat-shock proteins (HSPs) are synthesized by animals and plants in response to various stressors. The level of the HSP60 stress protein was measured from the cell fraction of peripheral blood obtained from nestling house martins (Delichon urbica) to test whether ectoparasitism increased the concentration of stress protein. We assessed HSP from nestlings raised in nests previously treated with an insecticide or infested with 50 martin bugs (Oeciacus hirundinis). In addition, haematozoa infections were checked in blood smears. Nestlings from parasite-infested nests, or nestlings infected with trypanosomes, had increased levels of HSP in their blood cells. Nestling growth as determined from wing length was negatively related to HSP60 levels and within-brood variation in wing length increased with increasing levels of the stress protein independently of treatment and infection by trypanosomes. These results suggest HSPs may play a role in host-parasite interactions, and that they can be used reliably for measuring physiological responses to parasites.