Why should parasite resistance be costly?
Parasite resistance is sometimes associated with fitness costs. Costs of resistance are fundamentally important in epidemiology, and in the ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactions. The cost of resistance is often envisioned as the cost of re-allocating limiting resources to resistance machinery from other traits. This popular paradigm has resulted in a spate of research that assumes a fitness cost to resistance. We comment on this trend and propose a working framework of various resistance means and mechanisms. Within these means and mechanisms, we suggest that many are not likely to incur significant fitness costs.
Rigby
Mark C
MC
Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. rigby@lifesci.ucsb.edu
Hechinger
Ryan F
RF
Stevens
Lori
L
D000818:Animals; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000235:genetics*; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D012449:Safety; D012641:Selection, Genetic