Related concentrations of specific immunoglobulins against the Lyme disease agentBorrelia burgdorferi sensu latoin eggs, young and adults of the kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)

The capacity for mothers to transmit induced resistance against a specific parasite to their young may be an essential maternal effect that determines the fitness of offspring. In a previous study, antibodies against the Lyme disease agentBorrelia burgdorferi sensu latowere detected in kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) eggs in relation to the exposure of birds to the tick vectorIxodes uriae. However, as yet, there has been no demonstration of a direct relationship between antibody concentrations in parents and young in a natural population. Here, we show, using the kittiwake–Borreliasystem, the existence of a positive relationship between antibody concentrations in maternal serum and that in eggs and chick serum. No such relationship was found between paternal serum and eggs or young. These results suggest the existence of an adaptive maternal effect, an effect that should have important implications for the ecology and evolution of host–parasite interactions.