Biology Faculty Articles

Interactive Influence of Infectious Disease and Genetic Diversity in Natural Populations

ORCID

0000-0001-7353-8301

ResearcherID

N-1726-2015

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Trends in Ecology and Evolution

ISSN

0169-5347

Publication Date

10-1988

Abstract

The importance of infectious disease in the survival and adaptation of animal populations is rapidly becoming apparent. Throughout evolution, animal species have been continually afflicted with devastating disease outbreaks which have influenced the demographic and genetic status of the populations. Some general population consequences of such epidemics include selection for disease resistance, the occasional alteration of host gene frequencies by a genetic ‘founder effect’ after an outbreak, and genetic adaptation of parasites to abrogate host defense mechanisms. A wide variety of host cellular genes which are polymorphic within species and which confer a regulatory effect on the outcome of infectious diseases has recently been discovered. The critical importance of maintaining genetic diversity with respect to disease defense genes in natural populations is indicated by certain populations which have reduced genetic variability and apparent increased vulnerability to infectious disease.

Volume

3

Issue

10

First Page

254

Last Page

259

Comments

©1988 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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Peer Reviewed

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