Timing of transmission and the evolution of virulence of an insect virus

We used the nuclear polyhedrosis virus of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, to investigate whether the timing of transmission influences the evolution of virulence. In theory, early transmission should favour rapid replication and increase virulence, while late transmission should favour slower repl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2002-06, Vol.269 (1496), p.1161-1165
Main Authors: Cooper, V. S., Reiskind, M. H., Miller, J. A., Shelton, K. A., Walther, B. A., Elkinton, J. S., Ewald, P. W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Animals
Biological Evolution
Disease transmission
Dosage
Evolution
Host-Parasite Interactions
Infections
Insect larvae
Lymantria Dispar
Moths
Moths - growth & development
Moths - virology
Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus
Nucleopolyhedrovirus - pathogenicity
Nucleopolyhedrovirus - physiology
Parasite hosts
Pathogens
Time Factors
Timing
Trade-Off
Transmission
Virulence
Virus Diseases - transmission
Virus Diseases - virology
Virus Replication
Viruses
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Summary:We used the nuclear polyhedrosis virus of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, to investigate whether the timing of transmission influences the evolution of virulence. In theory, early transmission should favour rapid replication and increase virulence, while late transmission should favour slower replication and reduce virulence. We tested this prediction by subjecting one set of 10 virus lineages to early transmission (Early viruses) and another set to late transmission (Late viruses). Each lineage of virus underwent nine cycles of transmission. Virulence assays on these lineages indicated that viruses transmitted early were significantly more lethal than those transmitted late. Increased exploitation of the host appears to come at a cost, however. While Early viruses initially produced more progeny, Late viruses were ultimately more productive over the entire duration of the infection. These results illustrate fitness trade-offs associated with the evolution of virulence and indicate that milder viruses can obtain a numerical advantage when mild and harmful strains tend to infect separate hosts.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2002.1976