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701-1703-00L 3 Credits MSC D-USYS , D-BIOL , D-HEST

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Evolutionary Medicine for Infectious Diseases

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. Dr. Alex Hall

Number of participants limited to 35. Waiting list will be deleted October 3rd, 2021.

VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:48:50

Abstract

This course explores infectious disease from both the host and pathogen perspective. Through short lectures, reading and active discussion, students will identify areas where evolutionary thinking can improve our understanding of infectious diseases and, ultimately, our ability to treat them effectively.

Objective

Students will learn to (i) identify evolutionary explanations for the origins and characteristics of infectious diseases in a range of organisms and (ii) evaluate ways of integrating evolutionary thinking into improved strategies for treating infections of humans and animals. This will incorporate principles that apply across any host-pathogen interaction, as well as system-specific mechanistic information, with particular emphasis on bacteria and viruses.

Content

We will cover several topics where evolutionary thinking is relevant to understanding or treating infectious diseases. This includes: (i) determinants of pathogen host range and virulence, (ii) dynamics of host-parasite coevolution, (iii) pathogen adaptation to evade or suppress immune responses, (iv) antimicrobial resistance, (v) evolution-proof medicine. For each topic there will be a short (< 20 minutes) introductory lecture, before students independently research the primary literature and develop discussion points and questions, followed by interactive discussion in class.

Resources

Literature

The focus is on primary literature, but for some parts the following text books provide good background information: Schmid Hempel 2011 Evolutionary Parasitology Stearns & Medzhitov 2016 Evolutionary Medicine

General Information

Language: English
Levels: MSC
Frequency: Yearly recurring

Examination

Type: graded semester performance

Students write brief reports (~1 page each) on 3-5 topics during the course. The final grade is a combination of the grades for these reports (75% of overall grade) and the grade from a short oral test (taking place in the last two weeks of the course; 25% of overall grade).

Registration & Places

Max Places: 35

Course Components

Type	Title	Time & Place	Hours
lecture with exercise	Evolutionary Medicine for Infectious Diseases	Fri 10:15-12:00 (HG E 41)	2 h weekly