Book description
A unique and timely review of the emergence of eukaryotic virulence
in fungi, oomycetes, and protozoa, as they affect both animals and plants
Evolution of Virulence in Eukaryotic Microbes addresses new
developments in defining the molecular basis of virulence in
eukaryotic pathogens. By examining how pathogenic determinants have
evolved in concert with their hosts, often overcoming innate and
adaptive immune mechanisms, the book takes a fresh look at the
selective processes that have shaped their evolution.
Introductory chapters ground the reader in principal evolutionary
themes such as phylogenetics and genetic exchange, building a basis of
knowledge for later chapters covering advances in genetic tools, how
pathogens exchange genetic material in nature, and the common themes
of evolutionary adaptation that lead to disease in different hosts.
With the goal of linking the research findings of the many disparate
scientific communities in the field, the book:
- Assembles for the first time a collection of chapters on the
diversity of eukaryotic microorganisms and the influence of
evolutionary forces on the origins and emergence of their virulent attributes
- Highlights examples from three important, divergent groups of
eukaryotic microorganisms that cause disease in animals and plants:
oomycetes, protozoan parasites, and fungi
- Covers how the development of genetic tools has fostered the
identification and functional analyses of virulence determinants
- Addresses how pathogens exchange genetic material in nature via
classical or modified meiotic processes, horizontal gene transfer,
and sexual cycles including those that are cryptic or even unisexual
- Provides a broad framework for formulating future studies by
illustrating themes common to different pathogenic microbes
Evolution of Virulence in Eukaryotic Microbes is an ideal book
for microbiologists, evolutionary biologists and medical
professionals, as well as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and
faculty members working on the evolution of pathogens.
