When might host heterogeneity drive the evolution of asymptomatic, pandemic coronaviruses?

ABSTRACT: Controlling many infectious diseases, including SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), requires surveillance followed by isolation, contact-tracing and quarantining. These interventions often begin by identifying symptomatic individuals. However, actively removing pathogen strains causing symptomatic infections may inadvertently select for strains less likely to cause symptomatic infections. Moreover, a pathogen's fitness landscape is structured around a heterogeneous host pool; uneven surveillance efforts and distinct transmission risks across host classes can meaningfully alter selection pressures. Here, we explore this interplay between evolution caused by disease control efforts and the evolutionary consequences of host heterogeneity. Using an evolutionary epidemiology model parameterized fo

SUBMITTER: Okamoto KW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9207439 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature