Host resistance influences patterns of experimental viral adaptation and virulence evolution.

ABSTRACT: Infectious diseases are major threats to all living systems, so understanding the forces of selection that limit the evolution of more virulent pathogens is of fundamental importance; this includes the practical application of identifying possible mitigation strategies for at-risk host populations. The evolution of more virulent pathogens has been classically understood to be limited by the tradeoff between within-host growth rate and transmissibility. Importantly, heterogeneity among hosts can influence both of these factors. However, despite our substantial understanding of how the immune system operates to control pathogen replication during infection, we have only a limited appreciation of how variability in intrinsic (i.e., genetically determined) levels of host resistance influences

SUBMITTER: Kubinak JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3714133 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature