This volume brings together recent developments in quasispecies theory extended to variable environments and practical applications in elucidating viral dynamics and treatment designs. In particular, the existence of an error threshold in rugged fitness landscapes has opened the way to a new antiviral strategy termed lethal mutagenesis, which is now under intensive theoretical, experimental and clinical investigation. As such the book explains how an understanding of quasispecies dynamics within infected organisms has increased our knowledge of viral disease events. From a clinical perspective, population dynamics highlights important problems for viral disease control, such as the selection of drug-resistant mutants that often accompanies treatment failures, and suggests means of increasing the effectiveness of antiviral treatments. The book is intended for students and scientists interested in basic and applied aspects of biophysics, chemistry, biology, evolution and medical virology.

Virus as Composition, Complexity, Quasispecies, Dynamics, and Biological Implications, Second Edition, explains the fundamental concepts surrounding viruses as complex populations during replication in infected hosts. Fundamental phenomena in virus behavior, such as adaptation to changing environments, capacity to produce disease, and the probability to be transmitted or respond to treatment all depend on virus population numbers. Concepts such as quasispecies dynamics, mutations rates, viral fitness, the effect of bottleneck events, population numbers in virus transmission and disease emergence, and new antiviral strategies are included. The book's main concepts are framed by recent observations on general virus diversity derived from metagenomic studies and current views on the origin and role of viruses in the evolution of the biosphere. - Features current views on key steps in the origin of life and origins of viruses - Includes examples relating ancestral features of viruses with their current adaptive capacity - Explains complex phenomena in an organized and coherent fashion that is easy to comprehend and enjoyable to read - Considers quasispecies as a framework to understand virus adaptability and disease processes

New viral diseases are emerging continuously. Viruses adapt to new environments at astounding rates. Genetic variability of viruses jeopardizes vaccine efficacy. For many viruses mutants resistant to antiviral agents or host immune responses arise readily, for example, with HIV and influenza. These variations are all of utmost importance for human and animal health as they have prevented us from controlling these epidemic pathogens. This book focuses on the mechanisms that viruses use to evolve, survive and cause disease in their hosts. Covering human, animal, plant and bacterial viruses, it provides both the basic foundations for the evolutionary dynamics of viruses and specific examples of emerging diseases. - NEW - methods to establish relationships among viruses and the mechanisms that affect virus evolution - UNIQUE - combines theoretical concepts in evolution with detailed analyses of the evolution of important virus groups - SPECIFIC - Bacterial, plant, animal and human viruses are compared regarding their interation with their hosts

Continuous genetic variation and selection of virus subpopulations in the course of RNA virus replications are intimately related to viral disease mechanisms. The central topics of this volume are the origins of the quasispecies concept, and the implications of quasispecies dynamics for viral populations.

Featuring contributions from experts in mathematical biology and biomedical research, this edited volume covers a diverse set of topics on mathematical methods and applications in the biosciences. Topics focus on advanced mathematical methods, with chapters on the mathematical analysis of the quasispecies model, Arnold’s weak resonance equation, bifurcation analysis, and the Tonnelier-Gerstner model. Special emphasis is placed on applications such as natural selection, population heterogeneity, polyvariant ontogeny in plants, cancer dynamics, and analytical solutions for traveling pulses and wave trains in neural models. A survey on quasiperiodic topology is also presented in this book. Carefully peer-reviewed, this volume is suitable for students interested in interdisciplinary research. Researchers in applied mathematics and the biosciences will find this book an important resource on the latest developments in the field. In keeping with the STEAM-H series, the editors hope to inspire interdisciplinary understanding and collaboration.

While the study of viral evolution has developed rapidly in the last 30 years, little attention has been directed toward linking the mechanisms of viral evolution to the epidemiological outcomes of these processes. This book intends to fill this gap by considering the patterns and processes of viral evolution at all its spatial and temporal scales.

"Taken together, the body of information contained in this book provides readers with a bird’s-eye view of different aspects of exciting work at the convergence of disciplines that will ultimately lead to a future where we understand how immunity is regulated, and how we can harness this knowledge toward practical ends that reduce human suffering. I commend the editors for putting this volume together." –Arup K. Chakraborty, Robert T. Haslam Professor of Chemical Engineering, and Professor of Physics, Chemistry, and Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA New experimental techniques in immunology have produced large and complex data sets that require quantitative modeling for analysis. This book provides a complete overview of computational immunology, from basic concepts to mathematical modeling at the single molecule, cellular, organism, and population levels. It showcases modern mechanistic models and their use in making predictions, designing experiments, and elucidating underlying biochemical processes. It begins with an introduction to data analysis, approximations, and assumptions used in model building. Core chapters address models and methods for studying immune responses, with fundamental concepts clearly defined. Readers from immunology, quantitative biology, and applied physics will benefit from the following: Fundamental principles of computational immunology and modern quantitative methods for studying immune response at the single molecule, cellular, organism, and population levels. An overview of basic concepts in modeling and data analysis. Coverage of topics where mechanistic modeling has contributed substantially to current understanding. Discussion of genetic diversity of the immune system, cell signaling in the immune system, immune response at the cell population scale, and ecology of host-pathogen interactions.