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Disentangling genetic variation for resistance and tolerance to infectious diseases in animals

Råberg, Lars LU ; Sim, Derek and Read, Andrew F. (2007) In Science 318(5851). p.812-814
Abstract
Hosts can in principle employ two different strategies to defend themselves against parasites: resistance and tolerance. Animals typically exhibit considerable genetic variation for resistance (the ability to limit parasite burden). However, little is known about whether animals can evolve tolerance (the ability to limit the damage caused by a given parasite burden). Using rodent malaria in laboratory mice as a model system and the statistical framework developed by plant-pathogen biologists, we demonstrated genetic variation for tolerance, as measured by the extent to which anemia and weight loss increased with increasing parasite burden. Moreover, resistance and tolerance were negatively genetically correlated. These results mean that... (More)
Hosts can in principle employ two different strategies to defend themselves against parasites: resistance and tolerance. Animals typically exhibit considerable genetic variation for resistance (the ability to limit parasite burden). However, little is known about whether animals can evolve tolerance (the ability to limit the damage caused by a given parasite burden). Using rodent malaria in laboratory mice as a model system and the statistical framework developed by plant-pathogen biologists, we demonstrated genetic variation for tolerance, as measured by the extent to which anemia and weight loss increased with increasing parasite burden. Moreover, resistance and tolerance were negatively genetically correlated. These results mean that animals, like plants, can evolve two conceptually different types of defense, a finding that has important implications for the understanding of the epidemiology and evolution of infectious diseases. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Science
volume
318
issue
5851
pages
812 - 814
publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
external identifiers
  • wos:000250583900045
  • scopus:38449094810
ISSN
1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.1148526
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
37781745-7c37-472e-adea-43f3d21863cc (old id 654462)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:43:45
date last changed
2022-04-15 06:27:37
@article{37781745-7c37-472e-adea-43f3d21863cc,
  abstract     = {{Hosts can in principle employ two different strategies to defend themselves against parasites: resistance and tolerance. Animals typically exhibit considerable genetic variation for resistance (the ability to limit parasite burden). However, little is known about whether animals can evolve tolerance (the ability to limit the damage caused by a given parasite burden). Using rodent malaria in laboratory mice as a model system and the statistical framework developed by plant-pathogen biologists, we demonstrated genetic variation for tolerance, as measured by the extent to which anemia and weight loss increased with increasing parasite burden. Moreover, resistance and tolerance were negatively genetically correlated. These results mean that animals, like plants, can evolve two conceptually different types of defense, a finding that has important implications for the understanding of the epidemiology and evolution of infectious diseases.}},
  author       = {{Råberg, Lars and Sim, Derek and Read, Andrew F.}},
  issn         = {{1095-9203}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5851}},
  pages        = {{812--814}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}},
  series       = {{Science}},
  title        = {{Disentangling genetic variation for resistance and tolerance to infectious diseases in animals}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1148526}},
  doi          = {{10.1126/science.1148526}},
  volume       = {{318}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}