peopleAndrew Read
Professor of Biology and Entomology
Eberly College of Science Distinguished Senior Scholar
Email: a.read@psu.edu
Phone: 814-867-2396
Fax: 814-865-9131
Office: 517 Mueller Lab
Research
My research focuses on the ecology and evolutionary genetics of infectious disease, including:
Evolution and virulence
- How do public and animal health programs affect pathogen evolution (particularly the evolution of virulence)? Having developed a theoretical framework, we are now testing its predictions in laboratory experimental systems.
- To what extent are parasite virulence and host resistance environmentally determined?
- How does natural selection resolve the trade-off pathogens face between replication within a host and transmission from it?
- How does host resistance affect pathogen evolution?
- Why is malaria not a more serious disease?
Interactions between pathogens
- When and how do malaria clones coinfecting a host compete?
- What determines the outcome of competition?
- How does competition affect clone fitness?
- How does competition affect the evolution of virulence and drug resistance?
Immunodynamics and the evolution of immunity
- How does host immunity shape parasite life history strategies?
- Do genetically diverse infections make hosts sicker or more infectious?
- When and how does pathogen-imposed selection favour increased host resistance?
- How do immune systems evolve?
- Much disease is immunopathology. Why does natural selection allow self-harm?
Control strategies
- Will vaccination and chemotherapy prompt the evolution of more virulent pathogens?
- Can entomopathogenic fungi be used to produce a cheap organic pesticide for sustainable malaria control?
- Can we make evolution-proof drugs, vaccines and insecticides?