The evolutionary consequences of plasticity in host–pathogen interactions

Taylor, Peter; Day, Troy; Nagy, Dániel; Wild, Geoff; André, Jean‐Baptiste; Gardner, Andy

doi:10.1016/j.tpb.2005.09.004

Cited by 31 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Further factors can also lead to a mismatch between prediction and observation, such as the effect of environmental conditions and host status (e.g. nutrition, temperature; Ferguson & Read 2002;Beck et al 2004;Bedhomme et al 2004), or plasticity in the response ( Taylor et al 2006). Also, genotypic variation in both parties adds to the variation in infection success and virulence ( Ferguson & Read 2002;Kover & Schaal 2002;Schmid-Hempel & Ebert 2003).…”

Section: Virulence (A) Pathogenesis and Virulencementioning

confidence: 99%

Immune defence, parasite evasion strategies and their relevance for ‘macroscopic phenomena’ such as virulence

Schmid‐Hempel

2008

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

214

177

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The discussion of host-parasite interactions, and of parasite virulence more specifically, has so far, with a few exceptions, not focused much attention on the accumulating evidence that immune evasion by parasites is not only almost universal but also often linked to pathogenesis, i.e. the appearance of virulence. Now, the immune evasion hypothesis offers a deeper insight into the evolution of virulence than previous hypotheses. Sensitivity analysis for parasite fitness and life-history theory shows promise to generate a more general evolutionary theory of virulence by including a major element, immune evasion to prevent parasite clearance from the host. Also, the study of dose-response relationships and multiple infections should be particularly illuminating to understand the evolution of virulence. Taking into account immune evasion brings immunological processes to the core of understanding the evolution of parasite virulence and for a range of related issues such as dose, host specificity or immunopathology. The aim of this review is to highlight the mechanism underlying immune evasion and to discuss possible consequences for the evolutionary ecology analysis of host-parasite interactions.

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Section: Virulence (A) Pathogenesis and Virulencementioning

confidence: 99%

Immune defence, parasite evasion strategies and their relevance for ‘macroscopic phenomena’ such as virulence

Schmid‐Hempel

2008

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

214

177

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“…In game theory, this is an asymmetric game [15], in which the pathogen 'goes first', causing an expression of symptoms in the host to which other hosts plastically respond. It is well known that asymmetric games can yield very different evolutionary predictions [28][29][30][31], yet the implications of this have not been considered for host-pathogen avoidance coevolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathogen evolution under host avoidance plasticity

McLeod

Day

2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Host resistance consists of defences that limit pathogen burden, and can be classified as either adaptations targeting recovery from infection or those focused upon infection avoidance. Conventional theory treats avoidance as a fixed strategy which does not vary from one interaction to the next. However, there is increasing empirical evidence that many avoidance strategies are triggered by external stimuli, and thus should be treated as phenotypically plastic responses. Here, we consider the implications of avoidance plasticity for host-pathogen coevolution. We uncover a number of predictions challenging current theory. First, in the absence of pathogen trade-offs, plasticity can restrain pathogen evolution; moreover, the pathogen exploits conditions in which the host would otherwise invest less in resistance, causing resistance escalation. Second, when transmission trades off with pathogen-induced mortality, plasticity encourages avirulence, resulting in a superior fitness outcome for both host and pathogen. Third, plasticity ensures the sterilizing effect of pathogens has consequences for pathogen evolution. When pathogens castrate hosts, selection forces them to minimize mortality virulence; moreover, when transmission trades off with sterility alone, resistance plasticity is sufficient to prevent pathogens from evolving to fully castrate.

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“…The existence of conditional life-history strategies involving decreased or increased transmission stage production could affect theoretical predictions about how in-host competition affects the evolution of virulence (Koella & Antia 1995; van Baalen & Sabelis 1995; Antia et al 1996; West et al 2001; Taylor et al 2006). We return to this point in §4.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transmission stage investment of malaria parasites in response to in-host competition

et al. 2007

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Conspecific competition occurs in a multitude of organisms, particularly in parasites, where several clones are commonly sharing limited resources inside their host. In theory, increased or decreased transmission investment might maximize parasite fitness in the face of competition, but, to our knowledge, this has not been tested experimentally. We developed and used a clone-specific, stage-specific, quantitative PCR protocol to quantify Plasmodium chabaudi replication and transmission stage densities in mixed-clone infections. We co-infected mice from two strains with an avirulent and virulent parasite clone and found competitive suppression of in-host (blood-stage) parasite densities and generally corresponding reductions in transmission stage production, with the virulent clone obtaining overall competitive superiority. In response to competitive suppression, there was little evidence of any alteration in transmission stage investment, apart from a small reduction by one of the two clones in one of the two host strains. This alteration did not result in a competitive advantage, although it might have reduced the disadvantage. This study supports much of the current literature, which predicts that conspecific in-host competition will result in a competitive advantage and positive selection for virulent clones and thus the evolution of higher virulence.

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The evolutionary consequences of plasticity in host–pathogen interactions

Cited by 31 publications

References 40 publications

Immune defence, parasite evasion strategies and their relevance for ‘macroscopic phenomena’ such as virulence

Immune defence, parasite evasion strategies and their relevance for ‘macroscopic phenomena’ such as virulence

Pathogen evolution under host avoidance plasticity

Transmission stage investment of malaria parasites in response to in-host competition

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