Distribution of fitness in populations of dengue viruses

Md Abu Choudhury; William B Lott; John Aaskov

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0107264

Distribution of fitness in populations of dengue viruses

PLoS One. 2014 Sep 15;9(9):e107264. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107264. eCollection 2014.

Authors

Md Abu Choudhury¹, William B Lott², John Aaskov¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
² Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; School of Chemistry, Physics, and Mechanical Engineering, Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Abstract

Genetically diverse RNA viruses like dengue viruses (DENVs) segregate into multiple, genetically distinct, lineages that temporally arise and disappear on a regular basis. Lineage turnover may occur through multiple processes such as, stochastic or due to variations in fitness. To determine the variation of fitness, we measured the distribution of fitness within DENV populations and correlated it with lineage extinction and replacement. The fitness of most members within a population proved lower than the aggregate fitness of populations from which they were drawn, but lineage replacement events were not associated with changes in the distribution of fitness. These data provide insights into variations in fitness of DENV populations, extending our understanding of the complexity between members of individual populations.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Dengue Virus / classification
Dengue Virus / genetics*
Evolution, Molecular
Genetic Variation / genetics
Phylogeny
RNA, Viral / genetics

Substances

RNA, Viral

Grants and funding

The work was supported by National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, under grant 497203, Cook Estate and QUT Postgraduate Research Scholarships, Queensland University of Technology. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.