Conflicts over host manipulation between different parasites and pathogens: Investigating the ecological and medical consequences |
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| Authors: | Nina Hafer |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max‐Planck‐Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Pl?n, Germany |
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| Abstract: | When parasites have different interests in regard to how their host should behave this can result in a conflict over host manipulation, i.e. parasite induced changes in host behaviour that enhance parasite fitness. Such a conflict can result in the alteration, or even complete suppression, of one parasite's host manipulation. Many parasites, and probably also symbionts and commensals, have the ability to manipulate the behaviour of their host. Non‐manipulating parasites should also have an interest in host behaviour. Given the frequency of multiple parasite infections in nature, potential conflicts of interest over host behaviour and manipulation may be common. This review summarizes the evidence on how parasites can alter other parasite's host manipulation. Host manipulation can have important ecological and medical consequences. I speculate on how a conflict over host manipulation could alter these consequences and potentially offer a new avenue of research to ameliorate harmful consequences of host manipulation. |
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| Keywords: | conflict of interest host manipulation multiple infections parasite‐parasite interactions |
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