Special Issue "Virus Dynamics and Evolution"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Mary Poss
Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, 208 Mueller Lab, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Website: http://www.cidd.psu.edu/people/bio_poss.html
E-Mail:
Interests: Viruses as rapidly evolving markers of host population dynamics; emerging virus infections; viruses and innate immunity; pathogen interactions

Dear Colleagues,

In this special edition of “Viruses” on Virus Dynamics and Evolution, we focus on new approaches and systems that enhance our knowledge of how viruses adapt and persist within hosts and within populations. There are now unprecedented opportunities to study the interaction of virus and host at these multiple scales due in part to major advances in sequencing and single cell or molecule imaging. Changes in empirical methods are accompanied by substantial progress in computational algorithms and mathematical modeling, which are needed to effectively synthesize these high dimensional and complex data. Indeed, the field of virus dynamics and evolution is exemplary for integrating theory and data to achieve a more complete understanding of virus-host interactions. This compilation of papers exemplifies recent advances in this exciting field.

Dr. Mary Poss
Guest Editor

to be added soon

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Insights into Arbovirus Evolution and Adaptation Using Experimental Studies: Evolutionary Constraints and Mutant Swarm Dynamics
Authors: Ciota, A.T. and Kramer, L.D.; E-Mail: atc04@health.state.ny.us
Abstract: Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) require cycling between disparate vertebrate hosts and haematophagous invertebrate vectors. Arboviruses are responsible for causing significant public health burdens throughout the world, with over 100 species having the capacity to cause human disease. Over the last 15 years, arbovirus outbreaks in previously naïve environments have demonstrated the potential of these viruses for expansion and emergence, especially given a world with changing climates and landscapes. Recent outbreaks of West Nile virus and Chikungunya virus, together with the continued devastation caused by endemic viruses such as Dengue and Yellow fever, demonstrate the need to better understand the selective pressures that shape arbovirus evolution. A comprehensive understanding of host-virus interactions, specifically how both host-specific and virus-specific evolutionary pressures act, is needed to fully evaluate the factors that govern the potential for host shifts and geographic expansions. Both within host and between host pressures act on the virus. One approach to advance our understanding of the factors affecting arboviruses in nature is the use of experimental evolution studies in the laboratory. Here, we review the contributions that laboratory passage and experimental infection studies have made to the field of arbovirus adaptation and evolution and how these studies relate to other relevant findings and contribute to the overall field of arbovirus evolution. In particular, this review focuses on the areas of evolutionary constraints and mutant swarm dynamics, how experimental results compare to theoretical predictions, and how current knowledge should guide future questions relevant to understanding arbovirus evolution.