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15 - Evolution and the Etiology of Diabetes Mellitus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 August 2009

By
Kyle D. Cochran  and
Gregory M. Cochran
Edited by
Krishna R. Dronamraju
Kyle D. Cochran
Affiliation:
57 Robbs Hill Road, Lunenberg, MA 01462
Gregory M. Cochran
Affiliation:
6708 Loftus Street, N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87109
Krishna R. Dronamraju
Affiliation:
Foundation for Genetic Research, Houston, Texas
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Summary

INTRODUCTION

Over the course of the past century, medical science has produced rapid advances in human health. At first, the germ theory and Koch's postulates framed the search for pathogens causing major infectious diseases, and later, Mendelian genetics and modern molecular techniques were used to identify the genes responsible for inherited syndromes. A number of major human diseases are of unknown origin, including, but not limited to atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, manic depression, ulcerative colitis, many cancers, and diabetes mellitus.

In some cases, these diseases have plagued humanity for evolutionarily long periods. These diseases present a puzzle to evolutionary biologists. What selective pressures can maintain a high frequency for these deleterious syndromes over evolutionarily long periods? Using an adaptationist point of view, we have suggested that if a syndrome has been common in a well adapted population for an evolutionarily long period and maintains a large negative selective effect on the population, then the syndrome is likely to be caused, directly or indirectly, by infection (Cochran et al., 2000).

Diabetes may be one such disease. It is ancient, has a severe selective effect, and is relatively common; this combination of factors leads us to suspect that diabetes may be caused by infection. In this study, using an evolutionary perspective and with an eye on infection, we examine the etiology of diabetes mellitus.

EVOLUTIONARY PRESSURE, EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND FITNESS

What are the evolutionary pressures driving human disease syndromes?

Type
Chapter
Information
Infectious Disease and Host-Pathogen Evolution , pp. 325 - 342
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2004

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