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Preen gland removal increases plumage bacterial load but not that of feather-degrading bacteria |
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| Authors: | Gábor Árpád Czirják Péter László Pap Csongor István Vágási Mathieu Giraudeau Cosmin Mureşan Pascal Mirleau Philipp Heeb |
| Institution: | 1. Laboratoire évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), UMR 5174 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)–Ecole Nationale de Formation Agronomique (ENFA)–Université Paul Sabatier (UPS), 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France 2. Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, M?n??tur Street 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 8. Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Stra?e 17, 10315, Berlin, Germany 3. Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babe?-Bolyai University, Clinicilor Street 5-7, 400006, Cluj Napoca, Romania 4. Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary 5. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA 6. Emergency Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, M?n??tur Street 3-5, 400372, Cluj Napoca, Romania 7. Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), UMR-CNRS 7263, UMR-IRD 237, Université d’Aix-Marseille, Faculté des Sciences, P?le de l’Etoile, Av. Escadrille Normandie-Niemen, 13397, Marseille Cedex 20, France |
| Abstract: | The preen gland is a holocrine sebaceous gland of the avian integument which produces an oily secretion that is spread on the plumage during preening. It has been suggested that birds may defend themselves against feather-degrading bacteria (FDB) and other potential pathogens using preen gland secretions. However, besides some in vitro studies, the in vivo bacterial inhibitory effects of the preen oil on the abundance of feather-associated bacterial species has not yet been studied in passerines. Here we tested the effect of gland removal on the abundance of FDB and other-cultivable bacterial loads (OCB) of male house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Our results did not support earlier results on in vitro antibacterial activity of preen oil against FDB since the absence of the preen gland did not significantly affect their loads related to the control birds. In contrast, we found that preen gland removal led to higher loads of OCB. This result suggests that the antimicrobial spectrum of the preen oil is broader than previously thought and that, by reducing the overall feather bacterial loads, the preen gland could help birds to protect themselves against a variety of potentially harmful bacteria. |
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