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Superinfection exclusion: A viral strategy with short-term benefits and long-term drawbacks.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Abstract

Viral superinfection occurs when multiple viral particles subsequently infect the same host. In nature, several viral species are found to have evolved diverse mechanisms to prevent superinfection (superinfection exclusion) but how this strategic choice impacts the fate of mutations in the viral population remains unclear. Using stochastic simulations, we find that genetic drift is suppressed when superinfection occurs, thus facilitating the fixation of beneficial mutations and the removal of deleterious ones. Interestingly, we also find that the competitive (dis)advantage associated with variations in life history parameters is not necessarily captured by the viral growth rate for either infection strategy. Putting these together, we then show that a mutant with superinfection exclusion will easily overtake a superinfecting population even if the latter has a much higher growth rate. Our findings suggest that while superinfection exclusion can negatively impact the long-term adaptation of a viral population, in the short-term it is ultimately a winning strategy.

Description

Keywords

Humans, Superinfection

Journal Title

PLoS Comput Biol

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1553-734X
1553-7358

Volume Title

18

Publisher

Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/P020259/1)