Effects of cuterebrid larval parasitism on deer-mouse metabolism

Abstract

As in many parasitized mammals, deer mice infested with cuterebrid botfly larvae had decreased hemoglobin, hematocrit, and plasma albumin, and increased plasma globulin. These blood changes reflect a protein deficit in deer mice caused by larval uptake of body fluids including albumin. Deer mice increase their food intake in response to botfly infestation, and the botfly larvae use this increased food to grow rapidly without significantly increasing deer-mouse mortality.