Development of novel associations between MHC alleles and susceptibility to parasitic infections in an isolated population of an endangered mammal

The role of pathogens in dynamics of endangered species is not fully understood, and the effect of infection often interacts with other processes affecting those species, such as fragmentation and isolation or loss of genetic variation. Small, isolated populations are prone to losing functional alleles due to demographic processes and genetic drift, which may diminish their ability to resist infection if immune genes are affected. Demographic processes may also alter the selective pressure exerted by a parasite, as they influence the rate of parasite transmission between individuals. In the present paper we studied changes in parasite infection levels and genetic variability in an isolated population of spotted suslik (Spermophillus suslicus). Over a three-year period (approx. three generations), when the population size remained relatively stable, we observed a considerable increase in parasite prevalence and infection intensity, followed by the development of novel associations between MHC DRB alleles and parasite burden. Contrary to expectations, the change in MHC allele frequency over time was not consistent with the effect of the allele - for instance, Spsu-DRB*07, associated with higher intensity of infection with a nematode Capillaria sp., increased in frequency from 11.8 to 20.2%. Yet, we found no signatures of selection in the studied loci. Our results show that an isolated, stable population may experience a sudden increase in parasitic infections, resulting in a development of novel associations between MHC alleles and parasite susceptibility/resistance, even though no signatures of selection can be found.