Effects of limb disability on lousiness of mice: V. Hierarchy disturbance on mutual grooming and reproductive capacities

Abstract

Amputee mice subjected to the stressful conditions of a continually disturbed hierarchy developed excessive louse infestations. These infestations apparently were the result of a reduction in mutual grooming. In contrast, mutual grooming, among amputee mice in stable hierarchies maintained the louse infestation at an essentially nonexistent level. Additional evidence for the stressful conditions in the disturbed hierarchies was an eosinopenia among ♂ mice and an approximate 50% decrease in the percentage of pregnancies and relative lack of ovulatory activity in ♀ mice, as compared to that of mice in the stable hierarchies.