ReviewPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2015
Within-host competitive interactions as a mechanism for the maintenance of parasite diversity.
Review in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers.
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Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed.
- From predicted bacteriocins to ecological function.Current research in microbial sciences · 2026Review
- Article
- Chromosome-level genome assembly of the hemiparasitic Taxillus sutchuenensis (Loranthaceae).Scientific data · 2026Article
- Genomic diversification and tailocin-mediated competition in animal-associatedISME communications · 2026Article
- Superinfection Exclusion in Neotropical Honey Bees May Block DWV-B, an Emerging Infectious Disease Variant of Deformed Wing Virus.Evolutionary applications · 2025Article
- Epidemiology and risk factors for endoparasite infection in subtropical feral cattle in Hong Kong.International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2025Article
- Quantifying the effects of antibiotic resistance and within-host competition on strain fitness in Streptococcus pneumoniae.PLoS biology · 2025Article
- Article
- The impact of invasive Sinanodonta woodiana (Bivalvia, Unionidae) and mussel macroparasites on the egg distribution of parasitic bitterling fish in host mussels.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Ecological complexity of zoonotic malaria in macaque natural hosts.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Evidence for the Vacated Niche Hypothesis in Parasites of Invasive Mammals.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- A systematic review and guide for using multi-response statistical models in co-infection research.Royal Society open science · 2024Article
- Warming alters life-history traits and competition in a phage community.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2024Article
- Coinfection of slime feather duster worms (Annelida,Parasitology · 2024Article
- Entomopathogenic pseudomonads can share an insect host with entomopathogenic nematodes and their mutualistic bacteria.The ISME journal · 2024Article
- Intra-hostMicrobiology spectrum · 2023Article
- Learning the language of pathogens.eLife · 2023Article
- Multiplex PCR for rapid differential diagnosis of co-prevalent species of Theileria (Theileria annulata and Theileria orientalis) in cattle.Parasitology research · 2023Article
- Factors at multiple scales drive parasite community structure.The Journal of animal ecology · 2023Article
- Low genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 and 2 and multiplicity of infections in western Ethiopia following effective malaria interventions.Malaria journal · 2022Article
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Abstract
Variation among parasite strains can affect the progression of disease or the effectiveness of treatment. What maintains parasite diversity? Here I argue that competition among parasites within the host is a major cause of variation among parasites. The competitive environment within the host can vary depending on the parasite genotypes present. For example, parasite strategies that target specific competitors, such as bacteriocins, are dependent on the presence and susceptibility of those competitors for success. Accordingly, which parasite traits are favoured by within-host selection can vary from host to host. Given the fluctuating fitness landscape across hosts, genotype by genotype (G×G) interactions among parasites should be prevalent. Moreover, selection should vary in a frequency-dependent manner, as attacking genotypes select for resistance and genotypes producing public goods select for cheaters. I review competitive coexistence theory with regard to parasites and highlight a few key examples where within-host competition promotes diversity. Finally, I discuss how within-host competition affects host health and our ability to successfully treat infectious diseases.
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