title: On the principle of host evolution in host-pathogen interactions.
abstract: In this paper, we use a two-host one pathogen immuno-epidemiological model to argue that the principle for host evolution, when the host is subjected to a fatal disease, is minimization of the case fatality proportion [Formula: see text]. This principle is valid whether the disease is chronic or leads to recovery. In the case of continuum of hosts, stratified by their immune response stimulation rate a, we suggest that [Formula: see text] has a minimum because a trade-off exists between virulence to the host induced by the pathogen and virulence induced by the immune response. We find that the minimization of the case fatality proportion is an evolutionary stable strategy for the host.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Mathematics , University of Florida , Gainesville , FL , USA.
authors.forename: Maia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martcheva
authors.affiliation: b Department of Mathematical Sciences , Florida Atlantic University , Boca Raton , FL , USA.
authors.forename: Necibe
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tuncer
authors.affiliation: a Department of Mathematics , University of Florida , Gainesville , FL , USA.
authors.forename: Yena
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D008954:Models, Biological; D009026:Mortality; D014774:Virulence
keywords: Immuno-epidemiology; age-since-infection; competitive exclusion; multi-host; reproduction numbers; virulence; within-host dynamics