Digest: Little evidence exists for a virulence-transmission trade-off

Evolution. 2019 Apr;73(4):858-859. doi: 10.1111/evo.13724. Epub 2019 Mar 28.

Abstract

Research predicting the impact and spread of infectious disease has been heavily influenced by the idea of an evolutionary trade-off between a pathogen's virulence and its transmission rate. In a meta-analysis of the key underlying relationships, Acevedo et al. (2019) highlight the surprising lack of empirical evidence for this influential hypothesis.

Publication types

  • News
  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Biological Evolution*
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions*
  • Virulence