Close
Description
Ever since there were organisms to infect, there were pathogens. Pathogens and the diseases they cause have been our constant companions throughout evolutionary history. This module will cover the basics of evolution, and how these concepts help us to understand the shifting relationship between pathogen and host. We will discuss how human culture and civilisation have affected the evolution of pathogens, and how pathogens have affected human evolution, determining the most basic aspects of who we are, what it is to be an organism, to be an individual, to be human. We will consider the evolutionary record that can be recovered by analysing genomic sequences, and how deciphering these patterns can provide crucial information to the scientist, the epidemiologist, and the clinician. These topics will be anchored by considering important pathogens - Cholera, Malaria, HIV - how they have evolved, and how we have evolved in response. We will then look to the future, at the nature of the increasing threats that we will be facing.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module you will have an appreciation for the shared evolutionary dynamics of pathogens and their hosts, the role that pathogens have played during the evolution of humans and other forms of life, how human history has been shaped, is shaped, and will continue to be shaped by pathogens, how pathogens have responded to human activities and changes in the environment, how the evolutionary record can inform clinical and public health decisions and how this has played out for a number of important infectious diseases.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
听