ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8719-3620
Current Organisation
University of Toronto
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 27-08-2018
Abstract: Sex differences in the prevalence, course and severity of infection are widespread, yet the evolutionary consequences of these differences remain unclear. Understanding how male–female differences affect the trajectory of infectious disease requires connecting the contrasting dynamics that pathogens might experience within each sex to the number of susceptible and infected in iduals that are circulating in a population. In this study, we build on theory using genetic covariance functions to link the growth of a pathogen within a host to the evolution and spread of disease between in iduals. Using the Daphnia–Pasteuria system as a test case, we show that on the basis of within-host dynamics alone, females seem to be more evolutionarily liable for the pathogen, with higher spore loads and greater ergence among pathogen genotypes as infection progresses. Between-host transmission, however, appears to offset the lower performance of a pathogen within a male host, making even subtle differences between the sexes evolutionarily relevant, as long as the selection generated by the between-host dynamics is sufficiently strong. Our model suggests that relatively simple differences in within-host processes occurring in males and females can lead to complex patterns of genetic constraint on pathogen evolution, particularly during an expanding epidemic. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Linking local adaptation with the evolution of sex differences’.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2013
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 13-03-2017
Abstract: Many important and rapidly emerging pathogens of humans, livestock and wildlife are ‘vector-borne’. However, the term ‘vector’ has been applied to erse agents in a broad range of epidemiological systems. In this perspective, we briefly review some common definitions, identify the strengths and weaknesses of each and consider the functional differences between vectors and other hosts from a range of ecological, evolutionary and public health perspectives. We then consider how the use of designations can afford insights into our understanding of epidemiological and evolutionary processes that are not otherwise apparent. We conclude that from a medical and veterinary perspective, a combination of the ‘haematophagous arthropod’ and ‘mobility’ definitions is most useful because it offers important insights into contact structure and control and emphasizes the opportunities for pathogen shifts among taxonomically similar species with similar feeding modes and internal environments. From a population dynamics and evolutionary perspective, we suggest that a combination of the ‘micropredator’ and ‘sequential’ definition is most appropriate because it captures the key aspects of transmission biology and fitness consequences for the pathogen and vector itself. However, we explicitly recognize that the value of a definition always depends on the research question under study. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Opening the black box: re-examining the ecology and evolution of parasite transmission’.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-09-2020
DOI: 10.1111/JEB.13693
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 03-2011
DOI: 10.1086/658175
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Nicole Mideo.