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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Epidemiological and clinical consequences of within-host evolution.

Samuel Alizon¹, Fabio Luciani, Roland R Regoes

¹Laboratoire Génétique et Évolution des Maladies Infectieuses, Unité Mixte de Recherche du Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique et de l'Institut de Recherche pour le Développement 2724, 911 avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France. samuel.alizon@montp.cnrs.fr

Trends in Microbiology

|November 9, 2010

Summary

Pathogen evolution within a host significantly impacts transmission and disease spread. Epidemiological models must account for this within-host evolution for accurate predictions.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Epidemiology
Microbial genetics

Background:

Pathogens like viruses and bacteria exhibit rapid evolution during infection.
Epidemiological studies commonly overlook the dynamics of within-host evolution, assuming it is instantaneous.
Within-host evolutionary dynamics influence pathogen transmission and disease epidemiology.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the importance of considering within-host evolution in epidemiological studies.
To explore how within-host evolution affects transmissible pathogen genotypes.
To review current research on within-host evolution and its epidemiological implications.

Main Methods:

Literature review of studies investigating within-host pathogen evolution.
Analysis of how within-host evolution impacts epidemiological traits (e.g., transmission, virulence, recovery).
Discussion of emerging data acquisition techniques for studying pathogen evolution.

Main Results:

Within-host evolution alters the genetic makeup of pathogens transmitted between hosts.
Understanding within-host evolutionary dynamics is crucial for interpreting epidemiological traits.
New technologies offer novel avenues for both empirical and theoretical research in this field.

Conclusions:

Epidemiologists should integrate within-host evolutionary dynamics into their models.
Within-host evolution is a critical factor influencing disease transmission and spread.
Advancements in data acquisition will enhance our understanding of pathogen evolution and epidemiology.