Genetics And Evolution Of Infectious Diseases

Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Second Edition, discusses the constantly evolving field of infectious diseases and their continued impact on the health of populations, especially in resource-limited areas of the world. Students in public health, biomedical professionals, clinicians, public health practitioners, and decisions-makers will find valuable information in this book that is relevant to the control and prevention of neglected and emerging worldwide diseases that are a major cause of global morbidity, disability, and mortality. Although substantial gains have been made in public health interventions for the treatment, prevention, and control of infectious diseases during the last century, in recent decades the world has witnessed a worldwide human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic, increasing antimicrobial resistance, and the emergence of many new bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral pathogens. The economic, social, and political burden of infectious diseases is most evident in developing countries which must confront the dual burden of death and disability due to infectious and chronic illnesses. Takes an integrated approach to infectious diseases Includes contributions from leading authorities Provides the latest developments in the field of infectious disease

This multidisciplinary book is at the crossroads between two major scientific fields of the 21st century: evolutionary biology and infectious diseases. The genomic revolution has upset modern biology and has revolutionized our approach to ancient disciplines such as evolutionary studies. In particular, this revolution is profoundly changing our view on genetically driven human phenotypic diversity, and this is especially true in disease genetic susceptibility. Infectious diseases are indisputably the major challenge of medicine. When looking globally, they are the number one killer of humans and therefore the main selective pressure exerted on our species. Even in industrial countries, infectious diseases are now far less under control than 20 years ago. The first part of this book covers the main features and applications of modern technologies in the study of infectious diseases. The second part provides detailed information on a number of the key infectious diseases such as malaria, SARS, avian flu, HIV, tuberculosis, nosocomial infections and a few other pathogens that will be taken as examples to illustrate the power of modern technologies and the value of evolutionary approaches. Takes an integrated approach to infectious diseases Includes contributions from leading authorities Provides the latest developments in the field

This book is a unique synthesis of the major concepts and methods in bacterial population genetics in infectious disease, a field that is now about 35 yrs old. Emphasis is given to explaining population-level processes that shape genetic variation in bacterial populations and statistical methods of analysis of bacterial genetic data. A "how to" of bacterial population genetics, which covers an extremely large range of organisms Expanding area of science due to high-throughput genome sequencing of bacterial pathogens Covers both fundamental approaches to analyzing bacterial population structures with conceptual background in bacterial population biology Detailed treatment of statistical methods

This work explores and analyses the ways in which our ancient genes contend with, and influence, modern human life. It offers coverage of the points of contact between evolutionary biology and medical science.

This book, originally published in 2004, is concerned with the links between human evolution and infectious disease. It has long been recognised that an important factor in human evolution has been the struggle against infectious disease and, more recently, it was revealed that complex genetic polymorphisms are the direct result of that struggle. As molecular biological techniques become more sophisticated, a number of breakthroughs in the area of host-pathogen evolution led to an increased interest in this field. From the historical beginnings of J. B. S. Haldane's original hypothesis to more recent research, this book strives to evaluate infectious diseases from an evolutionary perspective. It provides a survey of information regarding host-pathogen evolution related to major infectious diseases and parasitic infections, including malaria, influenza and leishmaniasis. Written by leading authorities in the field, and edited by a former pupil of Haldane, Infectious Disease and Host-Pathogen Evolution will be valuable for those working in related areas of microbiology, parasitology, immunology and infectious disease medicine, as well as genetics, evolutionary biology and epidemiology.

From HIV to influenza, the battle between infectious agents and the immune system is at the heart of disease. Knowledge of how and why parasites vary to escape recognition by the immune system is central to vaccine design, the control of epidemics, and our fundamental understanding of parasite ecology and evolution. As the first comprehensive synthesis of parasite variation at the molecular, population, and evolutionary levels, this book is essential reading for students and researchers throughout biology and biomedicine. The author uses an evolutionary perspective to meld the terms and findings of molecular biology, immunology, pathogen biology, and population dynamics. This multidisciplinary approach offers newcomers a readable introduction while giving specialists an invaluable guide to allied subjects. Every aspect of the immune response is presented in the functional context of parasite recognition and defense--an emphasis that gives structure to a tremendous amount of data and brings into sharp focus the great complexity of immunology. The problems that end each chapter set the challenge for future research, and the text includes extensive discussion of HIV, influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, and many other pathogens. This is the only book that treats in an integrated way all factors affecting variation in infectious disease. It is a superb teaching tool and a rich source of ideas for new and experienced researchers. For molecular biologists, immunologists, and evolutionary biologists, this book provides new insight into infectious agents, immunity, and the evolution of infectious disease.

A combination of ecology and epidemiology in natural, unmanaged, animal and plant populations.

It has long been recognised that an important factor in human evolution has been the struggle against infectious disease and, more recently, it has been revealed that complex genetic polymorphisms are the direct result of that struggle. As molecular biological techniques become more sophisticated, a number of breakthroughs in the area of host-pathogen evolution have led to an increased interest in this field. From the historical beginnings of J.B.S. Haldane's original hypothesis to current research, this book strives to evaluate infectious diseases from an evolutionary perspective. It provides a survey of the latest information regarding host-pathogen evolution related to major infectious diseases and parasitic infections, including malaria, influenza and leishmaniasis. Written by leading authorities in the field, and edited by a former pupil of Haldane, Infectious Disease and Host-Pathogen Evolution will be a valuable reference for those working in related areas of microbiology, parasitology, immunology and infectious disease medicine, as well as genetics, evolutionary biology and epidemiology.