Identifying Reservoirs of Infection: A Conceptual and Practical Challenge

Haydon, Daniel T.; Cleaveland, Sarah; Taylor, Louise; Laurenson, M. Karen

doi:10.3201/eid0812.010317

Cited by 638 publications

(386 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

384

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The true maintenance hosts (i.e. the species responsible for the virus's persistence in the landscape [46]) are unknown, but squirrels and other rodents are suspected [44,47]. After smallpox was eradicated by a tremendous global vaccination campaign, the World Health Organization led an intensified surveillance campaign to assess the risk posed by monkeypox virus.…”

Section: (D) Revisiting the Critiquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vacated niches, competitive release and the community ecology of pathogen eradication

Lloyd‐Smith

2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A recurring theme in the epidemiological literature on disease eradication is that each pathogen occupies an ecological niche, and eradication of one pathogen leaves a vacant niche that favours the emergence of new pathogens to replace it. However, eminent figures have rejected this view unequivocally, stating that there is no basis to fear pathogen replacement and even that pathogen niches do not exist. After exploring the roots of this controversy, I propose resolutions to disputed issues by drawing on broader ecological theory, and advance a new consensus based on robust mechanistic principles. I argue that pathogen eradication (and cessation of vaccination) leads to a ‘vacated niche’, which could be re-invaded by the original pathogen if introduced. Consequences for other pathogens will vary, with the crucial mechanisms being competitive release, whereby the decline of one species allows its competitors to perform better, and evolutionary adaptation. Hence, eradication can cause a quantitative rise in the incidence of another infection, but whether this leads to emergence as an endemic pathogen depends on additional factors. I focus on the case study of human monkeypox and its rise following smallpox eradication, but also survey how these ideas apply to other pathogens and discuss implications for eradication policy.

show abstract

Section: (D) Revisiting the Critiquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vacated niches, competitive release and the community ecology of pathogen eradication

Lloyd‐Smith

2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Biotic and abiotic sources for maintenance of the pathogen maintain disease even when highly susceptible hosts decline [179,188]. In our case studies, substantial interspecific variation in susceptibility to the pathogens exists [47,56,90,91,131] and may drive patterns of pathogen transmission and disease emergence and re-emergence over time and space.…”

Section: Summary Of Host -Pathogen Systemsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…hosts that support maintenance and growth of the pathogen) may change pathogen dynamics from density dependent to density independent [179]. Several species have been suggested to be reservoir hosts for Bd.…”

Section: (Iv) Consequences Of Infection For Amphibian Populations Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecophysiology meets conservation: understanding the role of disease in amphibian population declines

Blaustein

Gervasi

Johnson

et al. 2012

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

135

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Infectious diseases are intimately associated with the dynamics of biodiversity. However, the role that infectious disease plays within ecological communities is complex. The complex effects of infectious disease at the scale of communities and ecosystems are driven by the interaction between host and pathogen. Whether or not a given host-pathogen interaction results in progression from infection to disease is largely dependent on the physiological characteristics of the host within the context of the external environment. Here, we highlight the importance of understanding the outcome of infection and disease in the context of host ecophysiology using amphibians as a model system. Amphibians are ideal for such a discussion because many of their populations are experiencing declines and extinctions, with disease as an important factor implicated in many declines and extinctions. Exposure to pathogens and the host's responses to infection can be influenced by many factors related to physiology such as host life history, immunology, endocrinology, resource acquisition, behaviour and changing climates. In our review, we discuss the relationship between disease and biodiversity. We highlight the dynamics of three amphibian host-pathogen systems that induce different effects on hosts and life stages and illustrate the complexity of amphibianhost-parasite systems. We then review links between environmental stress, endocrine -immune interactions, disease and climate change.

show abstract

“…Within the Murinae, the Rattini tribe (Lecompte et al 2008) encompasses 35 genera and 167 rat species (Musser and Carleton 2005). Nearly all representatives of this tribe inhabit South-east Asia, a major hot spot of biodiversity (Myers et al 2000;Heaney 2011) under threat (Wilcove et al 2013).…”

Section: Which Reservoir Rodents? Identifying Rodent Species With Amentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ahmed et al 2009;Al-Sabi and Kapel 2011). The risk to human health posed by major rodent-borne pathogens such as hantaviruses or Yersinia pestis (the agent of bubonic or pneumonic plague) illustrates the need to clearly identify rodent reservoirs and reservoir complexes (Haydon et al 2002). Finally, information on the ecology, particularly in relation to habitat use, is also needed in order to identify high-risk environments and to better prevent and manage disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress on research on rodents and rodent-borne zoonoses in South-east Asia

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. This review aims to synthesise knowledge regarding the taxonomy of South-east Asian murine rodents and the challenges associated with the identification of habitat preferences and associated rodent-borne diseases. Recent studies concerning the Rattini tribe have identified unclear species boundaries that would benefit from further investigation. The development of barcoding may allow more accurate identification of rodents, specifically for complex species. However, knowledge on the distribution and habitat specialisations of many common murine rodents is still scarce, particularly regarding the specific habitat preferences of most synanthropic rodent species (Rattus tanezumi or Rattus exulans). Several studies have analysed the prevalence of major rodent-borne diseases in South-east Asia and it appears that the greatest risk of rodent zoonoses are in the lowland rain-fed and irrigated landscapes, generally in and around rice fields.

show abstract

Identifying Reservoirs of Infection: A Conceptual and Practical Challenge

Cited by 638 publications

References 37 publications

Vacated niches, competitive release and the community ecology of pathogen eradication

Vacated niches, competitive release and the community ecology of pathogen eradication

Ecophysiology meets conservation: understanding the role of disease in amphibian population declines

Progress on research on rodents and rodent-borne zoonoses in South-east Asia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About