Integrated Genetic Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases: The Chagas Model

Abstract

Genetic typing of pathogenic agents and of vectors has known impressive developments in the last 10 years, thanks to the progresses of molecular biology, and to the contribution of the concepts of evolutionary genetics. Moreover, we know more and more on the genetic susceptibility of man to infectious diseases. I propose here to settle a new, synthetic field of research, which I call 'integrated genetic epidemiology of infectious diseases ' (IGEID). I aim at evaluating, by an evolutionary genetic approach, the respective impact, on the transmission and pathogenicity of infectious diseases, of the host's, the pathogen 's and the vector 's genetic diversity, and their possible interactions (co-evolution phenomena). Chagas' disease constitutes a fine model to develop the IGEID methodology, by both field and experimental studies.