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Science 19 August 1994:
Vol. 265. no. 5175, pp. 1084 - 1086
DOI: 10.1126/science.265.5175.1084
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Articles

Virulence and Local Adaptation of a Horizontally Transmitted Parasite

Dieter Ebert 1

1 Zoology Department, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.

Parasites are thought to maximize the number of successfully transmitted offspring by trading off propagule production against host survival. In a horizontally transmitted microparasitic disease in Daphnia, a planktonic crustacean, increasing geographic distance between host and parasite origin was found to be correlated with a decrease in spore production and virulence. This finding indicates local adaptation of the parasite, but contradicts the hypothesis that long-standing coevolved parasites are less virulent than novel parasites. Virulence can be explained as the consequence of balancing the positive genetic correlation between host mortality and strain-specific spore production.

Submitted on March 7, 1994
Accepted on June 28, 1994


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