Immune selection suppresses the emergence of drug resistance in malaria parasites but facilitates its spread.

ABSTRACT: Although drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum typically evolves in regions of low transmission, resistance spreads readily following introduction to regions with a heavier disease burden. This suggests that the origin and the spread of resistance are governed by different processes, and that high transmission intensity specifically impedes the origin. Factors associated with high transmission, such as highly immune hosts and competition within genetically diverse infections, are associated with suppression of resistant lineages within hosts. However, interactions between these factors have rarely been investigated and the specific relationship between adaptive immunity and selection for resistance has not been explored. Here, we developed a multiscale, agent-based model of Plasmodium p

SUBMITTER: Whitlock AOB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8321109 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature