Essential Neuroparasitology
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Date
2018
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جامعة الشيخ عبدالله البدري
Abstract
Behavior-altering parasites are parasites capable of causing changes in the behavior of their hosts
by directly affecting the hosts' decision-making and behavior control mechanisms. The acquired
or modified behaviors assist in the parasite's transmission, and in the case of parasitoids result in
the host's death. (1)
Parasites often have striking effects on the behavior of their hosts. These behavioral changes can
be classed as adaptations on the part of the host, on the part of the parasite, or as nonadaptive
byproducts of infection. In many cases it seems that these changes in behavior are adaptive for the
parasite because they appear to facilitate transmission of the parasite to the next host in the
parasite's life cycle. However, caution must be used in inferring that adaptive behavioral
manipulation is occurring because simple byproducts of infection can have transmissionenhancing effects. In fact, in instances where host behaviors are altered, parasites that appear to
benefit from behavioral changes often have less dramatic effects on host behavior than parasites
that do not appear to benefit from altered behaviors.
(2) Parasites often alter the behavior of their
hosts in ways that are ultimately beneficial to the parasite or its offspring