Evolution and disease - Population biology, evolution, and infectious disease: Convergence and synthesis

Traditionally, the interest of population and evolutionary biologists in in fectious ii diseases has been almost exclusively in their role as agents of natural selection in higher organisms. Recently, this interest has expande d to include the genetic structure and evolution of microparasite populatio ns, the mechanisms of pathogenesis and the immune response, and the populat ion biology, ecology, and evolutionary consequences es of medical and publi c health interventions. This article describes recent work in these areas, emphasizing the ways in which quantitative, population-biological approache s have been contributing to the understanding of infectious disease and the design and evaluation of interventions for their treatment and prevention.