Parasite Evolution and Life History Theory

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Beth F. Kochin, Emory University; James J. Bull, University of Texas at Austin; Rustom Antia, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2010-10-19
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2010 Kochin et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic
• Final Published Version (URL): http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1000524
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: PLoS Biology
• ISSN: 1544-9173
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 10
• Start Page: 1
• End Page: 4
• Grant/Funding Information: This work is supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation.
• Research Categories: Biology, General

Abstract

As a group, parasites are extraordinarily diverse. Even closely related parasites may behave very differently, infecting different host species, causing different pathologies, or infecting different tissues. For example, Escherichia coli bacteria, a typically harmless inhabitant of the human gut, can, in different forms, cause diarrhea, intestinal bleeding, urinary tract infections, kidney bleeding, meningitis, and other diseases. Underlying this diversity is evolution.