Parasitoid mediated effects on host behavior: Impacts on infection risk by other pathogens

Parasitoid wasps often affect the growth, development and behavior of hosts, but understanding of how these processes impact the fitness of wasp offspring is fragmentary. The braconid wasp Microplitis demolitor carries the polydnavirus M. demolitor bracovirus (MdBV) and parasitizes the larval stage of Chrysodeixis includens. Prior studies establish that MdBV infection alters the metabolic physiology of C. includens and disables metamorphosis. Here we characterized the effects of parasitism and MdBV infection on host feeding behavior. Our results reveal that MdBV profoundly alters host feeding behavior. Our results also suggest that alterations in feeding behavior affect the risk of infection by other pathogens, which in turn affects the survival of wasp offspring.