Host Behavior Modification: An Evolutionary Perspective

Abstract

Behavioral modification of hosts by infectious agents can potentially increase the fitness of the parasite. Its ecological importance has been recognized (Dobson, 1988; Keymer and Read, 1991; Lafferty and Morris, 1996; Chapter 16) and an evolutionary perspective on these behaviors is developing (Smith Trail, 1980; Moore, 1983, 1984; Moore and Gotelli, 1990; Lafferty, 1992; Poulin, 1994). Unraveling the physiological mechanisms of host behavior modification is also an active research area (Helluy and Holmes, 1990; Hurd, 1990; Thompson and Kavaliers, 1994).