Major histocompatibility alleles associated with local resistance to malaria in a passerine

C Bonneaud, Javier Perez-Tris, P Federici, O Chastel, G Sorci

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Malaria parasites are a major cause of human mortality in tropical countries and a potential threat for wildlife, as witnessed by the malaria-induced extinction of naive Hawaiian avifauna. Identifying resistance mechanisms is therefore crucial both for human health and wildlife conservation. Patterns of malaria resistance are known to be highly polygenic in both humans and mice, with marked contributions attributed to major histocompatibility (Mhc) genes. Here we show that specific Mhc variants are linked to both increased resistance and susceptibility to malaria infection in a wild passerine species, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). In addition, links between host immunogenctics and resistance to malaria involved population-specific alleles, suggesting local adaptation in this host-parasite interaction. This is the first evidence for a population-specific genetic control of resistance to malaria in a wild species.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)383-389
JournalEvolution
Volume60
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 2006

Bibliographical note

The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015.
The record was previously connected to the following departments: Animal Ecology (Closed 2011) (011012001)

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Evolutionary Biology

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