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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Parasite-induced behavioral change: mechanisms.

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description

Animal behavior and parasitism are more tightly linked than commonly thought. One of the most astonishing phenomena in host–parasite antagonistic interactions is ‘host manipulation,’ that is, the ability of a parasite to alter the behavior of its host in ways that appear to increase parasite fitness at the expense of host fitness. The mechanisms by which a parasite hijacks the behavior of its host have been explored using ethopharmacological and immunocytochemical approaches or carrying out a large-scale proteomic study on manipulated host’s brain. These few mechanistic studies have confirmed both the complexity of host manipulation by parasites and the importance of understanding the molecular cross-talk between a host and its manipulative parasite. 1. From phenotypic behavioral changes to altered gene expression. 2. Multidimensionality and mechanisms of parasite manipulation. 3. Investigating host's neuromodulatory pathways. 4. Screening the host's proteome and transcriptome. 5. The search for the ‘molecules of manipulation' in excretory-secretory products of manipulative parasites.