This research investigated the concurrent effects of a gastrointestinal nematode infection Heligmosomoides bakeri, pregnancy, and protein deficiency (PD) during late pregnancy throughout lactation on energetic, morphologic and immunological responses in CD1 mice and their offspring. Our novel findings can be summarized broadly into three key themes: (i) energetics and resting metabolic rate, (ii) bone metabolism and (iii) immune development. This work highlights the largely independent ways in which the mouse responds to competing demands of pregnancy, infection, and PD. Pregnancy increased RMR while PD lowered RMR; a trickle infection was not associated with any change. During pregnancy, these additional energetic demands were met by increased food intake and fat utilization. During infection mice lowered their body temperature. Finally, the reduction in RMR during PD was associated with higher serum corticosterone and leptin concentrations. A second novel finding was that both infection and PD impacted on maternal and neonatal bone development. Infection lowered maternal femur bone area which was associated with elevated serum IFN-γ in heavily infected pregnant mice and reduced foetal crown-rump length consistent with higher amniotic fluid IL-1β. Lower bone mineralization in PD dams was associated with elevated serum corticosterone and leptin whereas it was associated with elevated serum IL-1β and IL-6 during infection. The elevated serum IL-1β, lower leptin and IGF-1 in pups of PD and infected dams were consistent with the shorter crown-rump length. Finally, we explored for the first time the impact of maternal PD and infection on neonatal immune development. Both maternal infection and PD reduced lymphoid organ mass in pups whereas the percentage of T cells and T:B cell ratio in the spleen was increased only by maternal PD. These changes were associated with elevated corticosterone and IL-6 concentration in milk, and lower pup serum leptin and IGF-1 i / L'impact sur les réactions immunologiques, énergétiques et morphologiques a été étudié suite à une combinaison de facteurs tels une infection par Heligmosomoides bakeri, un nématode du système gastro-intestinal, la grossesse et la déficience protéique (DP) durant les derniers mois de grossesse et pendant la lactation chez les souris CD1 et leur descendance. Nos découvertes peuvent se résumer selon trois thèmes clés: (i) énergétique et métabolisme de base (MB), (ii) métabolisme osseux et (iii) développement immunitaire. Ce travail met en évidence les diverses voies indépendantes utilisées par la souris pour répondre à trois évènements: la grossesse, l'infection et la DP. La grossesse a augmenté le MB tandis que la DP l'a diminué. Une infection peu sévère n'a été associée à aucun changement. Durant la grossesse, les besoins énergétiques supplémentaires ont été comblés en augmentant l'apport nutritionnel et l'utilisation des graisses. Pendant la période d'infection, la température corporelle des souris a diminué. Enfin, la réduction du MB lors de la DP a corrélé avec une plus grande concentration de corticostérone et de leptine. Notre seconde découverte montre que l'infection et la DP ont un impact sur le développement osseux maternel et néonatal. L'infection a diminué l'os du fémur et a entraîné une forte concentration d'IFN-γ dans le sérum des souris gestantes fortement infectées. Elle a aussi diminué la distance vertex-coccyx tout en augmentant IL-1β dans le fluide amniotique. Une plus faible minéralisation osseuse chez les souris souffrant de DP coïncidait avec une forte concentration de corticostérone et de leptine dans le sérum bien qu'elle coïncidait avec une forte concentration d'IL-1β et d'IL-6 lors de l'infection. Une concentration élevée de IL-1β mais plus faible de leptine et de IGF-1 chez les souriceaux de mères infectées et souffrant de DP était compatible avec des distances$

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

<p>Passerine birds that primarily use grassland habitats are rarely the focus of a parasite study. With many rapidly declining bird populations that breed at even faster decreasing grassland habitat, it is important to know the potential risks to the birds posed by blood parasites. During the breeding seasons of 2009-2011, 150 samples from 148 individual birds (fourteen species) were collected from five grassland sites in northwest Minnesota, USA and surveyed for blood parasites using microscopy and molecular methods. Eighty-five (56.67%) of the 150 samples were infected with at least one of three haemosporidian genera: Haemoproteus, Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon. Seventy (46.67%) of the 150 samples were infected with either Haemoproteus or Plasmodium (fourteen infections were Haemoproteus, forty were Plasmodium and sixteen were undetermined due to dual infections or lack of sequences) and 41 samples (27.33%) were infected with Leucocytozoon, for a total of 111 infections. Plasmodium infections in two juvenile bobolinks provide evidence of active transmission within the study area. Haemoproteus/Plasmodium prevalence was significantly higher in May and June than in later collection months (July-Sept.) and dual infections were significantly higher in June compared with other sampling months. Of the three bird species that were sampled most, clay-colored sparrows (Spizella pallida) had significantly more Haemoproteus infections than savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) and bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). Only bobolinks were classified based on sex and/or age and adult males had significantly more Leucocytozoon and dual infections than adult females or juveniles. Parasite prevalence did not differ significantly between study sites or years. Phylogenetic reconstructions based on Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses produced three major clades, corresponding to the three haemosporidian genera. Bird host species were well mixed within the trees, indicating infective vectors fed on bird species opportunistically rather than selectively and also shows that the Haemosporidia are generalists, being able to infect a wide range of the sampled bird species.