Vertical transmission does not always lead to benign pathogen-host associations.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the capacity of pathogens to cause severe disease is of fundamental importance to human health and the preservation of biodiversity. Many of those pathogens are not only transmitted horizontally between unrelated hosts but also vertically between parents and their progeny. It is widely accepted that vertical transmission leads to the evolution of less virulent pathogens, but this idea stems from research that neglects the evolutionary response of hosts. Here, we use a game-theory model of coevolution between pathogen and host to show that vertical transmission does not always lead to more benign pathogens. We highlight scenarios in which vertical transmission results in pathogens exhibiting more virulence. However, we also predict that more benign outcomes are still possible

SUBMITTER: Shillcock G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10565904 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature