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Fighting microbial pathogens by integrating host ecosystem interactions and evolution
Author(s) -
Burmeister Alita R.,
Hansen Elsa,
Cunningham Jessica J.,
Rego E. Hesper,
Turner Paul E.,
Weitz Joshua S.,
Hochberg Michael E.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.202000272
Subject(s) - ecosystem , host (biology) , evolutionary medicine , biology , ecology , disease , perspective (graphical) , evolutionary ecology , variety (cybernetics) , ecosystem services , environmental resource management , evolutionary biology , computer science , medicine , economics , artificial intelligence , pathology
Successful therapies to combat microbial diseases and cancers require incorporating ecological and evolutionary principles. Drawing upon the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology, we present a systems‐based approach in which host and disease‐causing factors are considered as part of a complex network of interactions, analogous to studies of “classical” ecosystems. Centering this approach around empirical examples of disease treatment, we present evidence that successful therapies invariably engage multiple interactions with other components of the host ecosystem. Many of these factors interact nonlinearly to yield synergistic benefits and curative outcomes. We argue that these synergies and nonlinear feedbacks must be leveraged to improve the study of pathogenesis in situ and to develop more effective therapies. An eco‐evolutionary systems perspective has surprising and important consequences, and we use it to articulate areas of high research priority for improving treatment strategies.