Dr Amy Pedersen

Research summary
http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/groups/apedersen/

Current research interests
Much of the research in disease ecology and evolution has traditionally focused on a one host one parasite framework. And yet, in natural systems, hosts are usually co-infected by multiple parasites, and many parasites can infect several host species. My research aims to understand how these real-world complexities drive the ecology and evolution of parasites and their hosts. My current and future work focuses on two major themes: 1. The interactions between co-infecting parasites and implications for host health and disease transmission. Stability and resilience of parasite communities in a wild mouse population Understanding the role of co-infection in the success of treatment strategies and global health policies 2. How parasites able to persist on multiple hosts (i.e. multi-host parasites) contribute to host shifts and disease emergence. Experimental disease emergence: bacoluviruses as a model system Historical and future disease emergence in humans and wild primates To address these inter-related themes, I use a variety of host-pathogen systems and approaches including field-based manipulations, laboratory experiments, theory and comparative analyses.