One Health—One Medicine: unifying human and animal medicine within an evolutionary paradigm

Abstract

One health is a concept since early civilization, which promoted the view that there was no major distinction between animal and human medicine. Although persisting through the 19th century, this common vision was then all but forgotten in the early 20th century. It is now experiencing a renaissance, coincident with an awakening of the role that evolutionary biology plays in human and animal health, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs). A number of STIs in humans have comparable infections in animals; likewise, both humans and animals have STIs unique to each mammalian camp. These similarities and differences offer opportunities for basic medical and public health studies, including evolutionary insights that can be gleaned from ongoing interdisciplinary investigation--especially with the molecular analytical tools available--in what can become a golden age of mutually helpful discovery.

Brain Region Mapping Using Global Metabolomics

“…regulators of cytokines and of oxidative stress, intermediary and energy currency metabolites) life processes (Piomelli, et al, 2007). The creation of a detailed map of the human neural network (known as the connectome ) (Sporns, 2011) and its metabolic bridge will help to build a knowledge base to unravel complex brain functions. For example, assessment of intra- and inter- neural communications and complex interactions amongst brain regions and subregions will ultimately define how metabolites mediate neural function.…”

One Health: parasites and beyond

“…Taking a historical perspective, this concept is far from new. Until formal veterinary training was established in the 18 th century, human health practitioners often treated animals (Currier & Steele, 2011). In the 19 th century, the German physician and statesman Rudolf Virchow coined the term "zoonosis" and stated that "between animal and human medicine there are no dividing lines -nor should there be" (Kahn et al, 2007).…”

Introduction to The Evolution of Infectious Agents in Relation to Sex

“… a There are most likely many more STI or STxI agents in mammals not yet identified or characterized because of lack of visible disease manifestations, epizoonotic information, or relevant outbreak studies. Agents transmitted by artificial insemination are noted in the chapter by Currier and Steele 17 . Infectious agents in plants, insects, fish, amphibians, and birds, classified according to frequency estimates of sexual transmission, were earlier reviewed by Lockhart et al 3 …”

“…For the general part of the proceedings, we were particularly pleased to have a keynote address by Randolph Nesse 15 —who, with George Williams, pioneered the concept and practice of evolutionary medicine—as well as one by Janis Antonovics on the evolution of sex 16 . As noted in the table of contents, the other relevant general contributions comprise animal–human interactions (one health–one medicine) 17 and the genital econiche, with a focus on its microbiota and bacterial vaginosis 18 . The specific evolutionary–developmental (EVO‐DEVO) interactions of the tolerizing mechanisms and responses to STI agents of the “triad”—the mother, placenta, and fetus/infant 10 —is addressed, as is the role of endogenous retroviral genes (ERVs) in reproduction 19 .…”

“…We anticipate that these proceedings will lead to continued interchanges with, and between, other workers on some of the newer evolutionary perspectives, which are also intimately linked to, for example, social, economic, and technological developments 20 . We would urge particularly our veterinary medical and public health colleagues to include the uniting evolutionary paradigm to expand basic and practical knowledge within the one health–one medicine interchanges 17 on such common issues as reproductive aspects, vaccines, and antimicrobials.…”