Evidence for changes in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts resulting from exposure to alien species in Europe: a systematic map

Abstract

Background: Alien species are frequently considered a serious environmental threat but negative impacts on human health through injury, allergy, or as vectors of disease sometimes have the most dire consequences for human livelihoods. Climate change and the increasing magnitude and frequency of introductions of species across geographic barriers as a result of international trade are likely to change their establishment, spread, abundance, physiology or phenology, potentially also altering their human health impacts. Yet despite receiving increasing attention in the scientific literature, there have been few attempts to quantify recent changes in human health impacts. Here we report the findings from a systematic map of the literature identifying evidence of any change in the occurrence, frequency or severity of impacts of alien species on human health in Europe over the last 25 years. Methods:We conducted a systematic search of the ecological and medical literature using English language search terms to identify potentially relevant studies. Search results were assessed against inclusion criteria published in an a priori protocol at title, abstract and full-text to determine their suitability for inclusion in the review. Repeatability was checked at each stage by comparing a subset between reviewers and testing for inter-rater agreement using Cohen's kappa test. Studies deemed relevant at full text were coded against bibliographic, inclusion and study design criteria to create a searchable database of evidence. Results:Searches retrieved over 15,700 results yet only sixteen cases met criteria for inclusion in the systematic map. Most of this evidence represents first records of impacts from different areas, and in particular first reports of transmission of exotic diseases by introduced mosquito species. Conclusions:There is currently limited published evidence demonstrating a change in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts caused by alien species in Europe over the last 25 years. Relevant studies relate to only a few species, often report specific cases and rarely link health impacts with ecology, distribution or spread of the species. Difficulties in attributing human health impacts, such as stings or allergies, to a specific alien species likely complicate attempts to measure changes, as may differences in professional interests between the environmental and health professions. Future studies could helpfully compare spread or abundance with reported, rather than potential, health impacts. Better cooperation between invasion ecologists and health professionals working in affected areas are likely to be necessary to improve the evidence base on this topic for the future.

Invasive alien plant species: Their impact on environment, ecosystem services and human health

“…Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Parthenium hysterophorus, Ailanthus altissima, Acacia, Acer, Casuarina, Eucalyptus, Helianthus, Platanus and Xanthium are some of the IAPS which cause allergy in humans (Belmonte and Vilà, 2004;Mazza et al, 2014;Nyasembe et al, 2015;Lake et al, 2017;Müller-Schärer et al, 2018;Chen et al, 2018;Stone et al, 2018) (Table 2). European continent is the most severely affected area from the allergic immune responses in the form of asthma and other respiratory and skin diseases (Schindler et al, 2015;Bayliss et al, 2017;Müller-Schärer et al, 2018). Among the various species, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, is reported as the most allergy inducing IAPS in Europe (Xu et al, 2006;Pysˇek and Richardson, 2010;Daisie, 2009;Schindler et al, 2015;Lake et al, 2017;Müller-Schärer et al, 2018;Chen et al, 2018).…”

Horizon scanning for invasive alien species with the potential to threaten biodiversity and human health on a Mediterranean island

“…Knowledge on human health impacts is an important consideration for risk assessment and decision-making on IAS, but is currently biased towards only a few species, and impacts are generally poorly understood (Schindler et al 2015). The impacts of IAS on human health vary from psychological effects, discomfort, nuisance and phobias, to skin irritations, allergies, poisoning, disease and even death (Bayliss et al 2017;Martinou and Roy 2018).…”

Alien Species and Human Health: Austrian Stakeholder Perspective on Challenges and Solutions

“…Alien vectors of disease are responsible for transmission of pathogens that until recently have not been present, or they contribute to a higher prevalence of existing vector-borne diseases [ 18 , 19 ]. Further health-relevant alien species include ticks, algae, jellyfish, wasps and moths [ 16 , 20 , 21 ].…”

“…Invasion science is still dominated by natural sciences, while multidisciplinary approaches are rare [ 22 ]. Bayliss et al [ 21 ] screened over 15,700 articles, yet only sixteen of them provided evidence for changes in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts resulting from exposure to alien species in Europe. This was due to the fact that many of them assessed either species population trends or health impacts, but hardly both.…”

“…This knowledge gap hinders an appropriate understanding of the processes that cause biological invasions, and is specifically detrimental for identifying and implementing management solutions. In particular, the relationships between spread and abundance of health-relevant species, and their impact on human health and management are insufficiently investigated [ 21 ].…”