首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
   检索      


The curse of the Pharaoh revisited: evolutionary bi-stability in environmentally transmitted pathogens
Authors:Roche Benjamin  Drake John M  Rohani Pejman
Institution:Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. benjamin.roche@ird.fr
Abstract:It is increasingly evident that for a number of high-profile pathogens, transmission involves both direct and environmental pathways. Much of the distinguished evolutionary theory has, however, focused on each of transmission component separately. Herein, we use the framework of adaptive dynamics to study the evolutionary consequences of mixed transmission. We find that environmental transmission can select for increased virulence when direct transmission is low. Increasing the efficiency of direct transmission gives rise to an evolutionary bi-stability, with coexistence of different levels of virulence. We conclude that the overlooked contribution of environmental transmission may explain the curious appearance of high virulence in pathogens that are typically only moderately pathogenic, as observed for avian influenza viruses and cholera.
Keywords:Adaptative dynamics  curse of the pharaoh  environmental transmission  evolutionary bi–stability
本文献已被 PubMed 等数据库收录!
设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号