Optimal immune specificity at the intersection of host life history and parasite epidemiology.

ABSTRACT: Hosts diverge widely in how, and how well, they defend themselves against infection and immunopathology. Why are hosts so heterogeneous? Both epidemiology and life history are commonly hypothesized to influence host immune strategy, but the relationship between immune strategy and each factor has commonly been investigated in isolation. Here, we show that interactions between life history and epidemiology are crucial for determining optimal immune specificity and sensitivity. We propose a demographically-structured population dynamics model, in which we explore sensitivity and specificity of immune responses when epidemiological risks vary with age. We find that variation in life history traits associated with both reproduction and longevity alters optimal immune strategies-but the magnitu

SUBMITTER: Downie AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8730424 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature