Epidemic dynamics at the human-animal interface.
Few infectious diseases are entirely human-specific: Most human pathogens also circulate in animals or else originated in nonhuman hosts. Influenza, plague, and trypanosomiasis are classic examples of zoonotic infections that transmit from animals to humans. The multihost ecology of zoonoses leads to complex dynamics, and analytical tools, such as mathematical modeling, are vital to the development of effective control policies and research agendas. Much attention has focused on modeling pathogens with simpler life cycles and immediate global urgency, such as influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome. Meanwhile, vector-transmitted, chronic, and protozoan infections have been neglected, as have crucial processes such as cross-species transmission. Progress in understanding and combating zoonoses requires a new generation of models that addresses a broader set of pathogen life histories and integrates across host species and scientific disciplines.
Lloyd-Smith
James O
JO
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. jlloydsmith@ucla.edu
George
Dylan
D
Pepin
Kim M
KM
Pitzer
Virginia E
VE
Pulliam
Juliet R C
JR
Dobson
Andrew P
AP
Hudson
Peter J
PJ
Grenfell
Bryan T
BT
D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011528:Protozoan Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission