Declines in prevalence alter the optimal level of sexual investment for the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

ABSTRACT: Successful infectious disease interventions can result in large reductions in parasite prevalence. Such demographic change has fitness implications for individual parasites and may shift the parasite's optimal life history strategy. Here, we explore whether declining infection rates can alter Plasmodium falciparum's investment in sexual versus asexual growth. Using a multiscale mathematical model, we demonstrate how the proportion of polyclonal infections, which decreases as parasite prevalence declines, affects the optimal sexual development strategy: Within-host competition in multiclone infections favors a greater investment in asexual growth whereas single-clone infections benefit from higher conversion to sexual forms. At the same time, drug treatment also imposes selection pre

SUBMITTER: Early AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9335338 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature