Adaptive Dynamics of Infectious Diseases: In Pursuit of Virulence Management

Emerging diseases pose a continual threat to public health. Fast multiplication and high rates of genetic change allow pathogens to evolve very rapidly. It is therefore imperative to incorporate evolutionary considerations into longer-term health management plans. The evolution of infectious diseases is also an ideal test bed for theories of evolutionary dynamics. This book combines both threads, taking stock of our current knowledge of the evolutionary ecology of infectious diseases, and setting out goals for the management of virulent pathogens. Throughout the book, the fundamental concepts and techniques that underlie the modeling approaches are carefully explained in a unique series of integrated boxes. The book ends with an overview of novel options for virulence management in humans, farm animals, plants, wildlife populations, and pests and their natural enemies. Written for graduate students and researchers, Adaptive Dynamics of Infectious Diseases provides an integrated treatment of mathematical evolutionary modeling and disease management.