High virulence does not necessarily impede viral adaptation to a new host: a case study using a plant RNA virus.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Theory suggests that high virulence could hinder between-host transmission of microparasites, and that virulence therefore will evolve to lower levels. Alternatively, highly virulent microparasites could also curtail host development, thereby limiting both the host resources available to them and their own within-host effective population size. In this case, high virulence might restrain the mutation supply rate and increase the strength with which genetic drift acts on microparasite populations. Thereby, this alternative explanation limits the microparasites' potential to adapt to the host and ultimately the ability to evolve lower virulence. As a first exploration of this hypothesis, we evolved Tobacco etch virus carrying an eGFP fluorescent marker in two semi-permissi

SUBMITTER: Willemsen A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5248479 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature