Prof Andy Fenton

I am interested in understanding the occurrence and consequences of interactions between species in natural communities – with a particular focus on infectious diseases. My work focuses on the use of simple mathematical theory, coupled with experimental perturbations of natural systems, to reveal the extent to which species interact, and whether those interactions are important for the dynamics of each species, or the stability of the community as a whole.

In terms of infectious diseases, I am particularly interested in whether co-circulating and co-infecting parasite species interact inside hosts, and whether those interactions affect the host’s susceptibility to infection or disease by other parasites. I am also interested in how multiple host species combine to determine the transmission and persistence of parasites at the host community level.