title: Virulence and resistance in malaria: who drives the outcome of the infection?
abstract: Theoretical and experimental studies have established the dynamic nature of virulence and that, like all traits, it has evolved. Understanding parasite evolution offers a conceptual framework for diverse fields and can contribute greatly to decision-making in disease control. Recently, Grech et al. investigated the effects of host genotype-by-parasite genotype interactions on the expression of virulence in an artificial rodent-malaria system. They found that both parasite and host effects explained most of the variance in the virulence, resistance and transmission potential. These findings are a major contribution to the emerging debate on the pros and cons of a coevolutionary approach of virulence evolution; they also hold great potential for more effective control strategies.
authors.affiliation: Génétique et Evolution des Maladies Infectieuses, UMR CNRS/IRD 2724, IRD, 911 Avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lefèvre
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Fleur
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ponton
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology*; D051379:Mice; D016788:Plasmodium chabaudi / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014774:Virulence