Modelling the effects of phylogeny and body size on within-host pathogen replication and immune response.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how quickly pathogens replicate and how quickly the immune system responds is important for predicting the epidemic spread of emerging pathogens. Host body size, through its correlation with metabolic rates, is theoretically predicted to impact pathogen replication rates and immune system response rates. Here, we use mathematical models of viral time courses from multiple species of birds infected by a generalist pathogen (West Nile Virus; WNV) to test more thoroughly how disease progression and immune response depend on mass and host phylogeny. We use hierarchical Bayesian models coupled with nonlinear dynamical models of disease dynamics to incorporate the hierarchical nature of host phylogeny. Our analysis suggests an important role for both host phylogeny and species mass

SUBMITTER: Banerjee S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5721155 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature