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PLoS One

Title:		Female scent signals enhance the resistance of male mice to influenza
Author(s):		Litvinova EA; Goncharova EP; Zaydman AM; Zenkova MA; Moshkin MP;
Address:		"Laboratory of Physiological Adaptation of Animals, Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia"
Journal Title:		PLoS One
Year:		2010
Volume:		20100301
Issue:		3
Page Number:		e9473 -
DOI:		10.1371/journal.pone.0009473
ISSN/ISBN:		1932-6203 (Electronic) 1932-6203 (Linking)
Abstract:		"BACKGROUND: The scent from receptive female mice functions as a signal, which stimulates male mice to search for potential mating partners. This searching behavior is coupled with infection risk due to sniffing both scent marks as well as nasal and anogenital areas of females, which harbor bacteria and viruses. Consideration of host evolution under unavoidable parasitic pressures, including helminthes, bacteria, viruses, etc., predicts adaptations that help protect hosts against the parasites associated with mating. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We propose that the perception of female signals by BALB/c male mice leads to adaptive redistribution of the immune defense directed to protection against respiratory infection risks. Our results demonstrate migration of macrophages and neutrophils to the upper airways upon exposure to female odor stimuli, which results in an increased resistance of the males to experimental influenza virus infection. This moderate leukocyte intervention had no negative effect on the aerobic performance in male mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide the first demonstration of the adaptive immunological response to female odor stimuli through induction of nonspecific immune responses in the upper respiratory tract"
Keywords:		"Animals Female Immune System Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype/metabolism Leukocytes/virology Lung/virology Male Mice Mice, Inbred BALB C Odorants Orthomyxoviridae Infections/*immunology/*prevention & control Oxygen Consumption Pheromones/immunology/*metabo;"
Notes:		"MedlineLitvinova, Ekaterina A Goncharova, Elena P Zaydman, Alla M Zenkova, Marina A Moshkin, Mikhail P eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2010/03/09 PLoS One. 2010 Mar 1; 5(3):e9473. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009473"