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07:40
Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations
Published on: October 29, 2016
Host community structure and the maintenance of pathogen diversity
Caroline Buckee1, Leon Danon, Sunetra Gupta
1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK. caroline.buckee@zoo.ox.ac.uk
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|May 17, 2007
Summary
Host contact networks influence pathogen diversity. However, distinct host communities do not always mean distinct pathogen populations, even with low pathogen mixing. This challenges assumptions in epidemiological modeling.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Network Science
- Population Genetics
Background:
- Community structure is a key feature of real-world networks.
- Host contact networks impact pathogen antigenic diversity.
- The role of community structure in pathogen diversity remains unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the congruence between host community structure and pathogen antigenic diversity.
- To understand how spatial differentiation in pathogen populations relates to host community distinctness.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a deterministic metapopulation model.
- Employed individual-based formulations for network analysis.
- Examined pathogen populations in neighboring communities.
Main Results:
- Spatial differentiation of pathogen populations requires significantly lower coupling than host population distinctness.
- Identifiable host community structure may not correlate with distinct pathogen processes.
- Lack of pathogen genetic differentiation does not necessarily imply strong host mixing.
Conclusions:
- Host community structure may not always be reflected in pathogen population differentiation.
- Pathogen genetic homogeneity across communities can occur despite limited host mixing.
- Epidemiological models need to consider the complex interplay between host networks and pathogen evolution.
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