Pedro Vale

Pedro Vale

@pfvale.bsky.social

Ecology & Evolution of Infection Dynamics lab, Edinburgh, UK https://pedrovale.bio.ed.ac.uk/

2.3K followers1.2K following176 posts

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Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

These differences were already apparent quite early in the infection (under 24h) and early suppression of activity was associated with longer survival time (in males especially) suggesting adaptive restraint ("sickness behaviour") in addition to infection pathology.

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Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

To separate these mechanisms we estimated flies' minute-to-minute probability of active/inactive transitions. This separates changes in starting movement from changes in sustaining movement, revealing whether reduced activity reflects ‘resting’ or pathological failure to maintain locomotion.

Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

This state-transition revealed two distinct behavioural patterns within infected flies: early‑dying flies failed to start moving, and also failed to keep going once active, indicative of severe pathology. Longer lived flies were only less likely to initiate movement, suggesting restraint/rest.

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Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

At the coarse scale, all challenged flies showed reduced activity, which isn't surprising. What's interesting is what happens at the fine scale. We found that immune challenge mostly shortens the length of active periods and slightly lengthens inactive bouts (often stronger in females).

Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

In flies infected with live bacteria, those that die early show a behavioural “crash”: very long inactivity punctuated by occasional brief, intense movement. Longer-lived infected flies keep a much more “normal” activity architecture.

Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

Animals often move less when infected, but it's difficult to know whether reduced activity reflects an adaptive, host-controlled “sickness behaviour,” a non-specific injury response, or debilitating pathogen damage. We wanted to see if we could disentangle these effects.

Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

Using #Drosophila, we experimentally separated these causes by comparing injury, #immune stimulation, and live bacterial infection while tracking individual locomotion at 1‑minute resolution for 16 days.

Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

*Congratulations* to former Darwin Trust-funded PhD student Arun Prakash for being awarded the Alfred Russel Wallace award from @royentsoc.bsky.social for his PhD on #immune regulation of disease #tolerance and immune #priming in #Drosophila! @edinburghbiology.bsky.social @uoe-eid.bsky.social

edinburgh-infectious-diseases.ed.ac.ukFormer PhD student wins the Alfred Wallace Award for significant contribution to the science of entomology | Edinburgh Infectious Diseases | Edinburgh Infectious DiseasesSeptember 2025: Dr Arun Prakash, a Darwin Trust PhD student, has been retrospectively awarded the prestigious award from the Royal Entomological Society for his 2021 thesis ''Immune Regulation Of Dise...

Pedro Vale reposted

PLOS Biology
@plosbiology.org

Forecasting the effects of #epidemics is complicated by a population’s pathogen exposure history. @pfvale.bsky.social @chadisaadroy.bsky.social & Mike Boots argue for the use of experimental #DiseaseEcology to better understand the consequences of variations in #infection history 🧪 plos.io/4mdDVvW

plos.ioThe ghost of infections past: Accounting for heterogeneity in individual infection history improves accuracy in epidemic forecastingVariable pathogen exposure history contributes to individual immune differences, complicating epidemic forecasting. This Essay argues that experimental disease ecology can offer powerful tools and app...
Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

This piece on infection history as a driver of individual heterogeneity in infection outcomes was fun to think about and to write with @chadisaadroy.bsky.social and Mike Boots. Also suggest that systems like #Drosophila can offer useful tools to tackle the epidemiological consequences.

PLOS Biology@plosbiology.org

Forecasting the effects of #epidemics is complicated by a population’s pathogen exposure history. @pfvale.bsky.social @chadisaadroy.bsky.social & Mike Boots argue for the use of experimental #DiseaseEcology to better understand the consequences of variations in #infection history 🧪 plos.io/4mdDVvW

plos.ioThe ghost of infections past: Accounting for heterogeneity in individual infection history improves accuracy in epidemic forecastingVariable pathogen exposure history contributes to individual immune differences, complicating epidemic forecasting. This Essay argues that experimental disease ecology can offer powerful tools and app...
Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

"The myth of meritocracy in science collapses under the financial sacrifices expected at every career stage. From unpaid internships and self-funded conferences to underpaid positions, these hidden costs disproportionately exclude those without generational wealth, compounded by race and gender."

dx.plos.orgToo poor to science: How wealth determines who succeeds in STEMFrom student to researcher, a career in science can come with a high price tag. This Perspective explores how persistent financial barriers limit who can succeed in science, revealing how wealth shape...

Pedro Vale reposted

Trends in Microbiology
@cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social

Providencia rettgeri

dlvr.itProvidencia rettgeriProvidencia rettgeri is a rod-shaped, urease-producing, Gram-negative bacterium. It is motile, owing to the presence of flagella, which aid in its movement and colonisation of a wide range of environments. It is prevalent in hospitals and other healthcare settings, particularly on medical equipment, and therefore plays an increasingly important role in nosocomial infections. P. rettgeri produces mannose-resistant Proteus-like (MR/P) fimbriae, which allow adhesion to uroepithelial mucosal cells and to exfoliated urinary cells, contributing to its role in urinary-tract infections.

Pedro Vale reposted

Caroline Amoroso
@cr-amo.bsky.social

Hope this primer proves helpful to anybody interested in infection avoidance. It was certainly a pleasure to write with @akgibson.bsky.social and @pfvale.bsky.social l!

Current Biology@currentbiology.bsky.social

In our latest issue, @cr-amo.bsky.social and colleagues explain how avoidance of pathogens and parasites is a common feature across the tree of life and discuss the conditions under which avoidance may evolve. www.cell.com/current-biol...

cell.comAvoidance of infectionAmoroso et al. explain how avoidance of pathogens and parasites is a common feature across the tree of life and discuss the conditions under which avoidance may evolve. Research on avoidance may lead ...
Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

A new preprint from the lab, where we apply complex systems and machine learning approaches to identify transitions between life and infection-induced death in #Drosophila. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

biorxiv.orgDetecting infection-related mortality using dynamical statistical indicators of high-resolution activity time seriesPredicting transitions between health, disease, and death across biological systems remains an important challenge with significant implications for both ecological management and medical intervention...
Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

Really excited to finally start this project with @andreadwilson.bsky.social, using #Drosophila as a model for experimental epidemiology and evolution to explore the genetic determinants and evolutionary constraints on extreme pathogen transmission phenotypes.

Edinburgh Infectious Diseases@uoe-eid.bsky.social

🪰 BBSRC grant fuels research to unlock the genetics of disease spread 🪰 Led by: @pfvale.bsky.social @andreadwilson.bsky.social Read more ➡️ edinburgh-infectious-diseases.ed.ac.uk/bbsrc-grant-...

edinburgh-infectious-diseases.ed.ac.ukBBSRC grant fuels research to unlock the genetics of disease spreadApril 2025: A new BBSRC grant is set to explore the genetic factors influencing variation in host infectiousness. By using fruit flies as a model, researchers aim to uncover genetic and immune pathway...
Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

Hi #Drosophila folk: I'm advertising a 2-year #Postdoc, funded by a BBSRC grant on the genetic and immune determinants and evolutionary constraints underlying extreme pathogen transmission phenotypes. Deadline 29 April, details in the link below, or feel free to email: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMQ231/p...

jobs.ac.ukPostdoctoral Research Associate at The University of EdinburghApply now for the Postdoctoral Research Associate role on jobs.ac.uk - the leading job board for higher education jobs. View details.
Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

An interesting, tenured, Principal Researcher position at CIBIO in Northern Portugal, focused on the study of virus-host #co-evolution, with emphasis on the #evolution of #immune system genes and the impact of emerging diseases on wildlife. www.cibio.up.pt/en/jobs/tenu...

cibio.up.ptTENURE, 1st Edition: 2 positions- BIOPOLIS2025-15 - Job Opportunities - CibioThe mission of the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources is to develop world-class research in the areas of biodiversity and evolutionary bi

Pedro Vale reposted

Tobias Engl
@tcsengl.bsky.social

A long, long time ago, we started this review project during the first Coron lockdown, but if finally made it out into the world - Origin and function of beneficial bacterial symbioses in insects! @naturerevmicro.bsky.social

Nature Reviews Microbiology@natrevmicro.nature.com

New online! Origin and function of beneficial bacterial symbioses in insects

nature.comOrigin and function of beneficial bacterial symbioses in insectsNature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 27 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41579-025-01164-zIn this Review, Kaltenpoth et al. examine the evolution and function of beneficial symbioses between bacteria and their insect hosts, focusing on their effects on the host fitness and the microbial factors that play a role in the evolution of these symbiotic associations.

Pedro Vale reposted

Priscilla Akyaw
@abenaakyaw.bsky.social

Time to give an update on the fantastic work by @taniafpaulo.bsky.social during her PhD, now published in @royalsocietypublishing.org on the evolution of resistance and disease tolerance mechanisms to oral infection in #Drosophila royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... #infection #immunity 🤓🎊

royalsocietypublishing.orgEvolution of resistance and disease tolerance mechanisms to oral bacterial infection in Drosophila melanogaster | Open BiologyPathogens exert strong selection on hosts that evolve and deploy different defensive strategies, namely minimizing pathogen exposure (avoidance), directly promoting pathogen elimination (resistance) a...

Pedro Vale reposted

SalehLab
@salehlabparis.bsky.social

Here we go again!!! Thanks to @rubengonzalez.bsky.social a brilliant postdoc in the lab, I made my first baby steps into the aging field... Be kind and supportive 😀 I find the results totally exciting! and so much to do now! #ProudPI #LoveVirology

Rubén González@rubengonzalez.bsky.social

In my first Drosophila study at @salehlabparis.bsky.social, we found that: 1. Enteric viral infections accelerate aging. 2. Even if the infection is cleared, aging process remains triggered. 3. Accelerated aging correlates with reduced lifespan. 📑Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Pedro Vale reposted

Prof. Ruth Ley FRS
@microbiome.bsky.social

So excited to share this latest work by @kelseyhuus.bsky.social !!! She shows that flagellin in the human gut affects whether or not people develop fever in response to vaccine, and the amount of flagellin reflects diet

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social

Flagellin in the human gut microbiome is a diet-adjustable adjuvant for vaccination https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.21.639485v1

Pedro Vale reposted

The Interactive Fly
@interactivefly.bsky.social

Prakash, A., Fenner, F., Shit, B., Salminen, T. S., Monteith, K. M., Khan, I., Vale, P. F. (2024). IMD-mediated innate immune priming increases #Drosophila survival and reduces pathogen transmission. PLoS pathogens, 20(6):e1012308 journals.plos.org/plospathogen...

journals.plos.orgIMD-mediated innate immune priming increases Drosophila survival and reduces pathogen transmissionAuthor summary When we are vaccinated, our immune response is able to respond quickly if we are ever exposed to the same pathogen in the future. Unlike humans, the immune systems of invertebrates, suc...
Pedro Vale
@pfvale.bsky.social

"Here, we track the development of balancing selection theory over the last century and provide an accessible review of this rich collection of models." #evobio

bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology@biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social

A century of theories of balancing selection https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.12.637871v1

Pedro Vale reposted

Ben Longdon
@blongdon.bsky.social

V neat: "A naturally occurring mitochondrial genome variant confers broad protection from infection in Drosophila" from Tiina Salminen, Laura Vesala @pfvale.bsky.social et al journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...

journals.plos.orgA naturally occurring mitochondrial genome variant confers broad protection from infection in DrosophilaAuthor summary The strength of immune response and the disease symptoms vary among individuals even when exposed to the same pathogen. Much of this variation is due to the genes directly involved in a...