BIO201H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Zika Virus, 1918 Flu Pandemic, Influenza A Virus Subtype H5N1
Document Summary
Evolution and disease: microorganisms, diseases-virulence, hypotheses and predictions, modes of disease transmission, pathogens: host-to-host transmission, pathogens: transmission by vectors, horizontal transfer and virulence evolution. Microorganisms too small to be seen without magnification: slao called germs, agents, bugs, examples: bacteria, viruses, algae, protists, worms, fungi, many microorganisms are not pathogenic, but are beneficial to ecosystems and humams. 2: about 75% of recently emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are diseases of animal origin, and approximately 60% of all human pathogens are zoonotic. Evolutionary approach: application of evolutionary to the problems of pathogen virulence and health. Question: asks why (ultimate) rather than how (proximate) questions. Virulence: the degree to which a disease-causing pathogen can affect the organism (host) it attacks. Modes of disease transmission: host-to-host transmission, transmission by vectors. Applying evolutionary principles to help understand disease transmission and virulence. Hypotheses testing: h1: pathogens will evolve to be highly virulent when transmission between hosts is.
