Evidence for balancing selection on loci associated with host use in the genome of a generalist plant parasite academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...

Evidence for balancing selection on loci associated with host use in the genome of a generalist plant parasite

Abstract. Most research on host–parasite interactions has focused on tightly coevolved species pairs, yet many parasites are generalists that infect a wide

academic.oup.com

We have some exciting new work pre-printed this week. Read on if you're interested in #behavioural responses to infection and some cool analysis of high-resolution behavioural time-series data in #Drosophila. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Fine-scale behavioural dynamics separates adaptive sickness behaviour from injury and infection pathology https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04.21.719817v1

Differing effects of parasite-parasite interaction types on the spatial epidemiology of co-circulating parasites https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04.02.716128v1

New research from #BiologyLetters: How do infections impact social relationships? royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... | #Behaviour #Ecology #Evolution #Epidemiology

Genetic variance and phenotypic selection on pathogen-linked oviposition choice in Drosophila doi.org/10.32942/X20...

This pre-printed article discusses insect oviposition as a tractable, mechanistically grounded model for behavioural immunity, linking individual egg-laying decisions to population level disease dynamics. 🪰🦠 doi.org/10.32942/X2W...

Insect oviposition site selection as a simple system to investigate the ecology and evolution of pathogen avoidance behaviour. doi.org/10.32942/X2W962

2 job adverts on a NERC project w myself + @darrenobbard.bsky.social on “What determines the virome: ecology and the environment, evolution, or species history?” early 2026 in @uniexecec.bsky.social - Postdoc: jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr... - RA: jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr... Pls share!

*Congratulations* to former Darwin Trust-funded PhD student Arun Prakash for being awarded the Alfred Russel Wallace award from @royentsoc.bsky.social for his PhD on #immune regulation of disease #tolerance and immune #priming in #Drosophila! @edinburghbiology.bsky.social @uoe-eid.bsky.social

Former PhD student wins the Alfred Wallace Award for significant contribution to the science of entomology | Edinburgh Infectious Diseases | Edinburgh Infectious Diseases

September 2025: Dr Arun Prakash, a Darwin Trust PhD student, has been retrospectively awarded the prestigious award from the Royal Entomological Society for his 2021 thesis ''Immune Regulation Of Dise...

edinburgh-infectious-diseases.ed.ac.uk

Forecasting the effects of #epidemics is complicated by a population’s pathogen exposure history. @pfvale.bsky.social @chadisaadroy.bsky.social & Mike Boots argue for the use of experimental #DiseaseEcology to better understand the consequences of variations in #infection history 🧪 plos.io/4mdDVvW

The ghost of infections past: Accounting for heterogeneity in individual infection history improves accuracy in epidemic forecasting

Variable pathogen exposure history contributes to individual immune differences, complicating epidemic forecasting. This Essay argues that experimental disease ecology can offer powerful tools and app...

plos.io

This piece on infection history as a driver of individual heterogeneity in infection outcomes was fun to think about and to write with @chadisaadroy.bsky.social and Mike Boots. Also suggest that systems like #Drosophila can offer useful tools to tackle the epidemiological consequences.

PLOS Biology@plosbiology.org · 12mo ago

Forecasting the effects of #epidemics is complicated by a population’s pathogen exposure history. @pfvale.bsky.social @chadisaadroy.bsky.social & Mike Boots argue for the use of experimental #DiseaseEcology to better understand the consequences of variations in #infection history 🧪 plos.io/4mdDVvW

"The myth of meritocracy in science collapses under the financial sacrifices expected at every career stage. From unpaid internships and self-funded conferences to underpaid positions, these hidden costs disproportionately exclude those without generational wealth, compounded by race and gender."

Providencia rettgeri

Providencia rettgeri

Providencia rettgeri is a rod-shaped, urease-producing, Gram-negative bacterium. It is motile, owing to the presence of flagella, which aid in its movement and colonisation of a wide range of environments. It is prevalent in hospitals and other healthcare settings, particularly on medical equipment, and therefore plays an increasingly important role in nosocomial infections. P. rettgeri produces mannose-resistant Proteus-like (MR/P) fimbriae, which allow adhesion to uroepithelial mucosal cells and to exfoliated urinary cells, contributing to its role in urinary-tract infections.

dlvr.it

Hope this primer proves helpful to anybody interested in infection avoidance. It was certainly a pleasure to write with @akgibson.bsky.social and @pfvale.bsky.social l!

Current Biology@currentbiology.bsky.social · last yr.

In our latest issue, @cr-amo.bsky.social and colleagues explain how avoidance of pathogens and parasites is a common feature across the tree of life and discuss the conditions under which avoidance may evolve. www.cell.com/current-biol...

This primer on infection avoidance was incredibly fun to write with @cr-amo.bsky.social and Mandy Gibson. We cover its taxonomic breadth, mechanisms and evolution, and its importance across fields as diverse as public health, conservation, and agriculture. 🧪 www.cell.com/current-biol... #SymbioSky

Providencia rettgeri is a commonly employed #Drosophila pathogen. It also has an extensive AMR profile causing opportunistic infections in hospital settings. I recently realised I know less about it than I should, so here is my homework. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #Microsky #MEvosky

Providencia rettgeri

sciencedirect.com

hollyyfc.github.io/lme4u/

Interpretation and Diagnostics for lme4 Hierarchical Models

Interpret and diagnose linear mixed-effects models fitted with lme4. Provides tools for summarizing model output, visualizing assumptions checks, and performing hypothesis tests.

hollyyfc.github.io

A new preprint from the lab, where we apply complex systems and machine learning approaches to identify transitions between life and infection-induced death in #Drosophila. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Detecting infection-related mortality using dynamical statistical indicators of high-resolution activity time series

Predicting transitions between health, disease, and death across biological systems remains an important challenge with significant implications for both ecological management and medical intervention...

biorxiv.org

Really excited to finally start this project with @andreadwilson.bsky.social, using #Drosophila as a model for experimental epidemiology and evolution to explore the genetic determinants and evolutionary constraints on extreme pathogen transmission phenotypes.

Edinburgh Infectious Diseases@uoe-eid.bsky.social · last yr.

🪰 BBSRC grant fuels research to unlock the genetics of disease spread 🪰 Led by: @pfvale.bsky.social @andreadwilson.bsky.social Read more ➡️ edinburgh-infectious-diseases.ed.ac.uk/bbsrc-grant-...

Hi #Drosophila folk: I'm advertising a 2-year #Postdoc, funded by a BBSRC grant on the genetic and immune determinants and evolutionary constraints underlying extreme pathogen transmission phenotypes. Deadline 29 April, details in the link below, or feel free to email: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMQ231/p...

Postdoctoral Research Associate at The University of Edinburgh

Apply now for the Postdoctoral Research Associate role on jobs.ac.uk - the leading job board for higher education jobs. View details.

jobs.ac.uk

An interesting, tenured, Principal Researcher position at CIBIO in Northern Portugal, focused on the study of virus-host #co-evolution, with emphasis on the #evolution of #immune system genes and the impact of emerging diseases on wildlife. www.cibio.up.pt/en/jobs/tenu...

A long, long time ago, we started this review project during the first Coron lockdown, but if finally made it out into the world - Origin and function of beneficial bacterial symbioses in insects! @naturerevmicro.bsky.social

Nature Reviews Microbiology@natrevmicro.nature.com · last yr.

New online! Origin and function of beneficial bacterial symbioses in insects

Dental calculus, the preserved oral microbiome, is an absolute treasure trove of information that can be interrogated across thousands of years. But how to make it work? In a new preprint, @markella-morait.bsky.social asks this questions using >30 mammalian species:
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Time to give an update on the fantastic work by @taniafpaulo.bsky.social during her PhD, now published in @royalsocietypublishing.org on the evolution of resistance and disease tolerance mechanisms to oral infection in #Drosophila royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... #infection #immunity 🤓🎊

Evolution of resistance and disease tolerance mechanisms to oral bacterial infection in Drosophila melanogaster | Open Biology

Pathogens exert strong selection on hosts that evolve and deploy different defensive strategies, namely minimizing pathogen exposure (avoidance), directly promoting pathogen elimination (resistance) a...

royalsocietypublishing.org

Here we go again!!! Thanks to @rubengonzalez.bsky.social a brilliant postdoc in the lab, I made my first baby steps into the aging field... Be kind and supportive 😀 I find the results totally exciting! and so much to do now! #ProudPI #LoveVirology

Rubén González@rubengonzalez.bsky.social · last yr.

In my first Drosophila study at @salehlabparis.bsky.social, we found that: 1. Enteric viral infections accelerate aging. 2. Even if the infection is cleared, aging process remains triggered. 3. Accelerated aging correlates with reduced lifespan. 📑Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

So excited to share this latest work by @kelseyhuus.bsky.social !!! She shows that flagellin in the human gut affects whether or not people develop fever in response to vaccine, and the amount of flagellin reflects diet

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · last yr.

Flagellin in the human gut microbiome is a diet-adjustable adjuvant for vaccination https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.21.639485v1

Prakash, A., Fenner, F., Shit, B., Salminen, T. S., Monteith, K. M., Khan, I., Vale, P. F. (2024). IMD-mediated innate immune priming increases #Drosophila survival and reduces pathogen transmission. PLoS pathogens, 20(6):e1012308 journals.plos.org/plospathogen...

IMD-mediated innate immune priming increases Drosophila survival and reduces pathogen transmission

Author summary When we are vaccinated, our immune response is able to respond quickly if we are ever exposed to the same pathogen in the future. Unlike humans, the immune systems of invertebrates, suc...

journals.plos.org

What is a model organism? asm.org/Articles/202... #MicroSky #MEvoSky

"Here, we track the development of balancing selection theory over the last century and provide an accessible review of this rich collection of models." #evobio

bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology@biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social · last yr.

A century of theories of balancing selection https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.12.637871v1