Host age effects in host-parasite interactions: Epidemiological, ecological and evolutionary implications
Understanding the interplay among the demography, epidemiology, ecology and evolution of host and parasite populations is of utmost importance in light of recent epidemics and growing resistance towards drug treatments. However, there is very little data on how host age, an intrinsic and highly dynamic property of the host population as well as a key epidemiological factor, impacts ecological and evolutionary dynamics of host and parasite populations. Previously I found that host age at exposure directly affects the interactions between the bacterium Pasteuria ramosa and its water flea host Daphnia magna. Here, I will show that similar age effects are present in infections by the microsporidian Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis, a mixed-mode parasite of D. magna. I will further show the complex interplay between host demography and the ecology of host and parasite populations, by providing evidence of host age-dependent effects in single- and multi-species infections of D. magna. Ultimately, elucidating the underlying dynamics will improve our understanding of disease ecology and virulence evolution.
Host: Justyna Wolinska