New paper on immunity in blue tits

MHC molecules are known to be central in adaptive immunity, and studies on parasite resistance and MHC in wild animals have found effects on both infection intensity (parasite load) and infection status (infected or not). In a recent study by Helena Westerdahl et al these two aspects were considered simultaneously with a frequent avian malaria infection in a natural population of blue tits - showing that blue tits that carry a specific MHC allele seem able to suppress the malaria infection intensity, while there was no evidence that this allele also had an effect on clearance of the malaria infection.

The study,  “MHC-I affects infection intensity but not infection status with a frequent avian malaria parasite in blue tits” is available online in  PLOS ONE.