Can mutation and selection explain virulence in human P-falciparum infections? -: art. no. 2
Can mutation and selection explain virulence in human P-falciparum infections? -: art. no. 2
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DOI：
10.1186/1475-2875-3-2
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发表时间：
2004-03-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Saul, A
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hastings, IM;Paget-McNicol, S;Saul, A
背景资料：寄生虫发生周期性突变，这些突变最终必须被消除以保持其遗传完整性。方法：假设这些突变不是通过不同宿主中寄生虫之间的传统竞争机制消除的，而是主要通过同一感染内寄生虫之间的竞争消除的。在个体感染中产生大量寄生虫会增强这一过程，这可能对寄生虫毒力有重要贡献。最致命的人类疟疾寄生虫恶性疟原虫的几个特征可以从这个角度重新解释，并支持这种解释。更一般地说，它构成了一个新的解释毒力的演变在更广泛的微寄生虫。
Background: Parasites incur periodic mutations which must ultimately be eliminated to maintain their genetic integrity.Methods: It is hypothesised that these mutations are eliminated not by the conventional mechanisms of competition between parasites in different hosts but primarily by competition between parasites within the same infection.Results: This process is enhanced by the production of a large number of parasites within individual infections, and this may significantly contribute to parasitic virulence.Conclusions: Several features of the most virulent human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum can usefully be re-interpreted in this light and lend support to this interpretation. More generally, it constitutes a novel explanation for the evolution of virulence in a wider range of microparasites.