1. Wild animal populations typically harbour multiple parasite species,
which can interact in various ways depending on the species involved and
the state of the host upon infection. While many pairwise parasite
interactions and within-guild parasite communities have been
characterised, understanding how an interaction network spanning
multiple parasite groups might be mediated has been less commonly
explored. 2. We aimed to characterise parasites associations across
guilds in a wild population of a model species, allowing for comparisons
with existing laboratory-based research, and better understanding of how
any observed associations might manifest within the host. 3. We used
cross-sectional data from an island population of the house mouse, Mus
musculus domesticus, to identify associations between a broad range of
parasite species, including blood-borne microparasites, arthropod
ectoparasites, and gastrointestinal and hepatic helminths. 4. Every
recorded species was found to exist within a framework of positive and
negative associations, involving multiple between-guild associations,
and with the under-studied helminth species Calodium hepaticum playing a
central role. 5. This study highlights the need to account for as many
infections as possible when studying naturally infected populations, due
to the prevalence of inter-species associations. Various potential
mechanisms, including immunological and ecological, are suggested to
explain how these associations might occur. Comparisons with analogous
laboratory research from the same species are explored. A need for
longitudinal study to determine causality of interactions is
highlighted.