----------------------------------------------------------------------- BIOINFORMATICS COLLOQUIUM School of Computational Sciences George Mason University ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Globalization and the Evolution of Emerging Diseases Donald Burke Johns Hopkins University Tuesday, November 18, 2003 4:30 pm Verizon Auditorium, Prince William Campus Diseases that can be transmitted across species from animals to humans ("zoonoses") are the origin of most emerging infectious diseases. The location of the first trans-species transmission of HIV-1 is thought to have been in the Congo Basin. This hypothesis is supported by the presence there of great HIV-1 genetic diversity and the primate reservoir, the chimpanzee. We studied the details of cross-species emergence and evolution of retroviruses in the African Rain Forest in Cameroon. Hunting and butchering of non-human primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas, were common behaviors in the population. We discuss computational models of the emergence, evolution and epidemic spread of new variants of HIV, and compare the evolutionary strategies ("evolvability") used by HIV to other epidemic virus diseases such as influenza and SARS. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Refreshments are served at 3:30 pm. Find the schedule and directions at http://www.binf.gmu.edu/colloq.html