title: Malaria and trypanosome transmission: different parasites, same rules?
abstract: African trypanosomes produce different specialized stages for within-host replication and between-host transmission and therefore face a resource allocation trade-off between maintaining the current infection (survival) and investment into transmission (reproduction). Evolutionary theory predicts the resolution of this trade-off will significantly affect virulence and infectiousness. The application of life history theory to malaria parasites has provided novel insight into their strategies for survival and reproduction; how this framework can now be applied to trypanosomes is discussed. Specifically, predictions for how parasites trade-off investment in survival and transmission in response to variation in the within-host environment are outlined. An evolutionary approach has the power to explain why patterns of investment vary between strains and during infections, giving important insights into parasite biology.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK. laura.pollitt@ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: Laura C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Pollitt
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: MacGregor
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Reece
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014352:Trypanosomiasis / Q000635:transmission*; D014774:Virulence