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Interview with Professor Paul Ewald - Professor of Evolutionary Biology - Best selling author.
 Hosted by Jennifer Walton and David Riordan

Bio:
 

 

Education:
B.Sc. (1975) University of California, Irvine; Biological Sciences.
Ph.D. (1980) University of Washington; Zoology; specialization in Ecology and Evolution.

Research: Evolution of infectious diseases.

Most species of organisms on our planet live in or on other organisms, yet we are just beginning to understand one of the most basic questions about this kind of life style: What determines the point to which such associations evolve along the spectrum from mutualism to extreme virulence. Because viruses and bacteria can evolve extremely rapidly, evolutionary experiments can be conducted during a matter of months in a laboratory setting. Research in my lab makes use of this rapid evolution by studying experimentally the evolution of virulence. Using a nuclear polyhedrosis virus that infects gypsy moths, we are investigating how timing of transmission and genetic heterogeneity within hosts alters evolution of virulence. My research on disease also takes a comparative approach to the evolution of virulence, with a focus on human diseases and the evolutionary effects of various public health interventions.

Selected Publications:
Ewald, Paul W. 1996. Guarding against the most dangerous emerging pathogens: Insights from evolutionary biology. Emerging Infectious Diseases 2:245-257.

Ewald, P. W. 1995. The evolution of virulence: a unifying link between ecology and parasitology. Journal of Parasitology 81:659-669.

Ewald, P. W. 1996. Vaccines as evolutionary tools: The virulence-antigen strategy. In, CONCEPTS IN VACCINE DEVELOPMENT, (S. H. E. Kaufmann, ed.), Walter de Gruyter & Co:Berlin, pages 1-25.

Ewald, P. W. 1994. EVOLUTION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE. Oxford University Press, New York.

 



 
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Q1. Can you give us a description of Evolutionary Biology?
 



Q2. How does the school of Evolutionary Biology view immunization and vaccines?
 



Q3. What is the effectiveness of vaccines controlling disease in the near future?
 



Q4. What is your definition of stealth infections?
 



Q5. How do stealth infections elude detection by our immune systems?
 



Q6. Is there any resistance to the concept evolutionary medicine in the medical community?
 



Q7. Are you getting support from your medical colleagues for your work?
 



Q8. What can we do to protect ourselves against viral epidemics?
 



Q9. What is your view of the current Mad Cow outbreak?
 



Q10. What is your view on vaccinations?
 



Q11. Does SV40 virus play a role in causing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
 



Q12. Do the effects of global warming have a bearing on infectious disease outbreaks?
 



Q13. What would you like to see happen in your lifetime to improve our health system?
 



 


 

 

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