Infection, Genetics and Evolution

Infection, Genetics and Evolution

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/15671348

Publisher: Elsevier

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases constitute one of the main
challenges to medical science in the coming century. The exponential growth
of genetic studies over the last 20 years has greatly increased our
knowledge of the transmission and pathogenicity of infectious and parasitic
diseases. 

Within the field of human genetics, research has shown that susceptibility
to many infectious diseases (including leprosy, tuberculosis, malaria and
schistosomiais) has a genetic basis. Furthermore, much is now known on the
molecular epidemiology and virulence of pathogenic agents, as well as their
resistance to drugs, vaccines, and antibiotics. Such progress has been made
despite the formal and evolutionary genetics of many pathogenic agents
remaining obscure. 

Equally, research on the genetics of disease vectors has greatly improved
our understanding of their systematics, has increased our capacity to
identify target populations for control or intervention, and has provided
detailed information on the mechanisms of insecticide resistance.

However, the genetics of hosts, pathogens and vectors have tended to develop
as three separate fields of research. This artificial compartmentalisation
is of concern due to our growing appreciation of the strong coevolutionary
interactions among hosts, pathogens and vectors.

It is therefore highly desirable to develop a unified synthetic approach:
the "Integrated Genetic Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases" (IGEID). This
will involve evaluation of the respective impact of genetic diversity of
hosts, pathogens and vectors on the transmission and severity of infectious
diseases, as well as their coevolutionary interactions.

Infection, Genetics and Evolution - the Journal of Molecular Epidemiology
and Evolutionary Genetics in Infectious Diseases (MEEGID) - aims to be the
forum for developing this IGEID approach. The journal welcomes articles
dealing with the genetics of hosts, pathogens and vectors in relation to
infection and disease manifestation; preference will be given to papers
considering at least two of these interacting factors.

ISSN: 1567-1348

Submission to this journal is now totally online at:
http://ees.elsevier.com/meegid/.

Editor-in-Chief:

Michel Tibayrenc, Director
UMR CNRS/IRD 9926 "Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases"
IRD
911 avenue agropolis
BP 64501
34394 Montpellier cedex 5
France

Website: http://cepm.mpl.ird.fr
Fax: +33 4 67 41 62 99
Email: Michel.Tibayrenc@mpl.ird.fr

Content available by subscription. Sample issue available online.
 
Abstracts available online. Full-text available in HTML and PDF.
 
Current Issue: Volume 6, Issue 5 (September 2006)

Date: 13 July 2006