Emerging Infectious Diseases of Wildlife- Threats to Biodiversity and Human Health
Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) of free-living wild animals can be classified into three major groups on the basis of key epizootiological criteria: (i) EIDs associated with ``spill-over'' from domestic animals to wildlife populations living in proximity; (ii) EIDs related directly to human intervention, via host or parasite translocations; and (iii) EIDs with no overt human or domestic animal involvement. These phenomena have two major biological implications: first, many wildlife species are reservoirs of pathogens that threaten domestic animal and human health; second, wildlife EIDs pose a substantial threat to the conservation of global biodiversity.
- Publication:
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Science
- Pub Date:
- January 2000
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.287.5452.443
- Bibcode:
- 2000Sci...287..443D
- Keywords:
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- ECOLOGY