Reservoir host immunology and life history shape virulence evolution in zoonotic viruses.

ABSTRACT: The management of future pandemic risk requires a better understanding of the mechanisms that determine the virulence of emerging zoonotic viruses. Meta-analyses suggest that the virulence of emerging zoonoses is correlated with but not completely predictable from reservoir host phylogeny, indicating that specific characteristics of reservoir host immunology and life history may drive the evolution of viral traits responsible for cross-species virulence. In particular, bats host viruses that cause higher case fatality rates upon spillover to humans than those derived from any other mammal, a phenomenon that cannot be explained by phylogenetic distance alone. In order to disentangle the fundamental drivers of these patterns, we develop a nested modeling framework that highlights mechanisms

SUBMITTER: Brook CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10484437 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature