Cécile SARABIAN "The Evolution of Disease Avoidance: From Cognition to Conservation"

17 December 2024 12 h 15 min - 13 h 30 min
Cécile SARABIAN "The Evolution of Disease Avoidance: From Cognition to Conservation"

Location: CBI Toulouse - Salle de conférence 4R4
169 Rue Marianne Grunberg-Manago, 31400 Toulouse

05 61 33 58 00

Comprendre le fonctionnement des organismes vivants, telle est l’ambition du Centre de biologie intégrative (CBI), à Toulouse. Pour atteindre cet objectif, le CBI développe des approches multidisciplinaires, multi-échelles des molécules isolées aux organismes entiers et aux sociétés animales, et utilise de nombreux organismes modèles, des bactéries à l'homme.

https://goo.gl/maps/Tq5uBW1EEkPrg49p7

Disgust, a neural adaptive system, serves as a trigger for behavioral immunity in vertebrates, evolving to protect hosts from disease. Our experimental studies address five key questions: (1) What triggers avoidance in non-human primates (NHPs)? (2) Does disgust provide health benefits? (3) Is disgust learned in NHPs? (4) Are there cognitive markers of disgust? (5) What are its potential applications? We found that NHPs avoid sensory cues linked to biological contaminants, and those who avoid contaminated food have lower infection rates. Disgust is partly learned and interacts with physiological immunity, affecting cognitive processes based on the type of risk (infection vs. predation). While disgust is already applied in public health, it has broader potential in wildlife management, conservation, and animal welfare. I will also introduce ongoing and future projects that aim to leverage these protective behaviors to reduce negative interactions among animals and humans.


Location: CBI Toulouse - Salle de conférence 4R4
169 Rue Marianne Grunberg-Manago, 31400 Toulouse

05 61 33 58 00

Comprendre le fonctionnement des organismes vivants, telle est l’ambition du Centre de biologie intégrative (CBI), à Toulouse. Pour atteindre cet objectif, le CBI développe des approches multidisciplinaires, multi-échelles des molécules isolées aux organismes entiers et aux sociétés animales, et utilise de nombreux organismes modèles, des bactéries à l'homme.

https://goo.gl/maps/Tq5uBW1EEkPrg49p7