@article{dcb935259cb54e87b42fb6875652ce41,
title = "Noninvasive measurement of mucosal immunity in a free-ranging baboon population",
abstract = "Ecoimmunological patterns and processes remain understudied in wild primates, in part because of the lack of noninvasive methods to measure immunity. Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) is the most abundant antibody present at mammalian mucosal surfaces and provides an important first line of defense against pathogens. Recent studies show that sIgA can be measured noninvasively in feces and is a good marker of mucosal immunity. Here we validated a commercial ELISA kit to measure fecal IgA in baboons, tested the robustness of its results to variation in collection and storage conditions, and developed a cost-effective in-house ELISA for baboon fecal IgA. Using data from the custom ELISA, we assessed the relationship between fecal IgA concentrations and gastrointestinal parasite burden, and tested how sex, age, and reproductive effort predict fecal IgA in wild baboons. We find that IgA concentrations can be measured in baboon feces using an in-house ELISA and are highly correlated to the values obtained with a commercial kit. Fecal IgA concentrations are stable when extracts are stored for up to 22 months at −20°C. Fecal IgA concentrations were negatively correlated with parasite egg counts (Trichuris trichiura), but not parasite richness. Fecal IgA did not vary between the sexes, but for males, concentrations were higher in adults versus adolescents. Lactating females had significantly lower fecal IgA than pregnant females, but neither pregnant nor lactating female concentrations differed significantly from cycling females. Males who engaged in more mate-guarding exhibited similar IgA concentrations to those who engaged in little mate-guarding. These patterns may reflect the low energetic costs of mucosal immunity, or the complex dependence of IgA excretion on individual condition. Adding a noninvasive measure of mucosal immunity will promote a better understanding of how ecology modulates possible tradeoffs between the immune system and other energetically costly processes in the wild.",
keywords = "fecal immunoglobulin A, mucosal immunity, noninvasive, wild baboons",
author = "Gesquiere, {Laurence R.} and Bobby Habig and Christina Hansen and Amanda Li and Kimberly Freid and Learn, {Niki H.} and Alberts, {Susan C.} and Graham, {Andrea L.} and Archie, {Elizabeth A.}",
note = "Funding Information: Special thanks to J. Altmann for her foundational role in establishing the Amboseli Baboon Research Project; none of the research described here would have been possible without her dedicated work. Particular thanks also go to the Amboseli Baboon Project long‐term field team (R.S. Mututua, S. Sayialel, and J.K. Warutere), and to T. Wango and V. Oudu for their untiring assistance in Nairobi. The baboon project database, Babase , is expertly managed by N. Learn and J. Gordon. Database design and programming are provided by K. Pinc. We also thank Dr. Yohannes Asfaw at the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, Duke University Medical Center, for his help coordinating the captive baboon fecal sample collection. Thanks to Duke University, Princeton University, and the University of Notre Dame for financial and logistical support. In Kenya, we thank the Kenya Wildlife Service, University of Nairobi, Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, the National Environment Management Authority, and the National Council for Science, Technology, and Innovation. We also thank the members of the Amboseli‐Longido pastoralist communities, Ker & Downey Safaris, Air Kenya, and Safarilink for their cooperation and assistance in the field. For a complete set of acknowledgments of funding sources, logistical assistance, and data collection and management, please visit http://amboselibaboons.nd.edu/acknowledgments/ . We would also like to thank Anthony Di Fiore, and two anonymous reviewers for providing commentary on previous drafts of this manuscript. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health for the majority of the data represented here, including NSF IOS 1456832 and IOS 1053461, and NIH R01AG053330, R01HD088558, and P01AG031719. Funding Information: Special thanks to J. Altmann for her foundational role in establishing the Amboseli Baboon Research Project; none of the research described here would have been possible without her dedicated work. Particular thanks also go to the Amboseli Baboon Project long-term field team (R.S. Mututua, S. Sayialel, and J.K. Warutere), and to T. Wango and V. Oudu for their untiring assistance in Nairobi. The baboon project database, Babase, is expertly managed by N. Learn and J. Gordon. Database design and programming are provided by K. Pinc. We also thank Dr. Yohannes Asfaw at the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, Duke University Medical Center, for his help coordinating the captive baboon fecal sample collection. Thanks to Duke University, Princeton University, and the University of Notre Dame for financial and logistical support. In Kenya, we thank the Kenya Wildlife Service, University of Nairobi, Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, the National Environment Management Authority, and the National Council for Science, Technology, and Innovation. We also thank the members of the Amboseli-Longido pastoralist communities, Ker & Downey Safaris, Air Kenya, and Safarilink for their cooperation and assistance in the field. For a complete set of acknowledgments of funding sources, logistical assistance, and data collection and management, please visit http://amboselibaboons.nd.edu/acknowledgments/. We would also like to thank Anthony Di Fiore, and two anonymous reviewers for providing commentary on previous drafts of this manuscript. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health for the majority of the data represented here, including NSF IOS 1456832 and IOS 1053461, and NIH R01AG053330, R01HD088558, and P01AG031719. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.",
year = "2020",
month = feb,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1002/ajp.23093",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "82",
journal = "American Journal of Primatology",
issn = "0275-2565",
publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Inc.",
number = "2",
}