Scientific questions addressed by Wild Immunologists include:
- What is a "normal" level of activity for an immune system? For example, how does the immune response of a wild mouse - infected with a range of parasites and living in harsh conditions - differ from the response we know from laboratory mice exposed to antigens? [Pedersen, Babayan, Allen]
- What is the relationship between immune response magnitude and host or parasite fitness? Is a stronger immune response better? [Graham, Little, Pedersen]
- How different is the immune response of different host genotypes? Are these differences consistent across environments? [Little]
- To what degree is our immune system an adaptation to a natural community of gut commensals, and what are the health consequences of living in a ‘clean’ environment lacking historical gut faunas? [Maizels]
- What is the role of immunity in the ageing process? Can immune responses early in life contribute to the aging process? Is aging evident in the quality and strength of immune responses (immunosenescence)? [Nussey, Graham, Allen]
