PhD STUDENTSHIP IN DISEASE ECOLOGY Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, University of Edinburgh
The dynamics of coinfection: understanding the immune- and resource-mediated mechanisms that drive within-host parasite interactions Supervisors: Dr Amy Pedersen (Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh) Prof. Judi Allen (Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, University of Edinburgh) Dr Andy Fenton (Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool) Interested individuals must follow the instructions at this link on how to apply http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/biology/postgraduate/pgr/how-to-apply If you would like us to consider you for one of our scholarships you must apply by 18th January 2013 at the latest. Individuals are typically hosts to a variety of parasite species, representing vast taxonomic diversity, and exploiting a wide range of host tissues and resources. This diversity creates a dynamic and complex parasite community within individuals, which may be structured by interspecific interactions, either bottom-up (via resource competition) or top-down (via the hosts immune system). Within-host interactions between co-infecting parasites can be critical to the fitness and dynamics of both the parasites and the host. A growing literature emphasises the potential importance of such interactions to population and community ecology and various longitudinal field studies have demonstrated the ubiquity of co-infection in the wild. However, evidence of interactions between co-infecting parasites in natural populations remains equivocal, and the mechanisms that drive these interactions have been poorly studied. Therefore many key questions remain unanswered, particularly relating to the type of mechanisms that shape within-host parasite communities, which is vital for the design of effective long-term disease control strategies. The aim of this interdisciplinary project is to investigate the mechanisms determining within-host parasite interactions, in order to better understand the consequences of coinfection for host health, and importantly, provide insight into treatment strategies for coinfected populations. This project will focus on the microparasite (viruses, bacteria, & protozoans) and macroparasite (nematodes, cestodes) communities of wild wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) populations in the UK, where coinfection is the norm (>70%). The aims of the project are (1) to develop immunological assays for wood mice in order to measure the immune phenotypes of wild mice, (2) to test whether resource competition or immune-mediated interactions structure within-host parasite communites, using data from experimental treatment studies in wild mice populations, and (3) to test the direction and strength of these mechanisms using controlled laboratory studies. Training will be provided in relevant immunological and parasitological techniques and the successful applicant will work with researchers with a breadth of expertise in ecology, immunology, evolutionary biology and host- pathogen interactions. The successful applicant will have a biological sciences degree, either a 1st or 2i, and possibly an MSc in ecology, immunology, or infectious disease/parasitology. Please send any informal enquires about the project to Amy Pedersen [email protected] For publications and and a broader perspective on the research, please see supervisors websites: Amy Pedersen,http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/groups/apedersen/index.html Judi Allen, http://www.nematodes.org/allenlab/ Andy Fenton, http://www.liv.ac.uk/integrative-biology/staff/andrew-fenton/ References: Pedersen, A.B. & Babayan, S. 2011. Wild immunology. Molecular Ecology 20, 872-880. Jenkins, S.J., Ruckerl, D., Cook, P.C., Jones, L.H., Finkelman, F.D., van Rooiken, N.,MacDonald, A.S. and J.A. Allen. 2011. Local macrophage proliferation, rather than recruitment from the blood, is a signature of Th2 inflammation. Science 332, 1284. Pedersen, A.B. & Fenton, A. 2007. Emphasizing the ecology in parasite community ecology. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22:133-139. ------------------------------------------------------------ Amy B. Pedersen, Advanced Fellow Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution Institutes of Evolutionary Biology, Immunology & Infection Research School of Biological Sciences University of Edinburgh Kings Buildings Ashworth Labs, West Mains Road Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK [email protected] +44(0) 131 650 8674 Ashworth 2 - 4.07 http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/groups/apedersen/
