title: Fire and Parasites: An Under-Recognized Form of Anthropogenic Land Use Change and Mechanism of Disease Exposure.
abstract: Anthropogenic land use changes have altered ecosystems and exacerbated the spread of infectious diseases. Recent reviews, however, have revealed that fire suppression in fire-prone natural areas has not been recognized as a form of anthropogenic land use change. Furthermore, fire suppression has been an under-recognized mechanism altering the risk and transmission of infectious disease pathogens and host-parasite dynamics. However, as settlement patterns changed, especially due to colonial expansion in North America, Africa, and Australia, fire suppression became a major form of land use change which has led to broad-scale ecosystem changes. Because parasites of humans and animals can vector viral, bacterial, prion, fungal, or protozoan pathogens, concomitant changes associated with anthropogenic-induced changes to fire frequencies and intensities are of concern. I provide reference to 24 studies that indicate that restoring fire in natural areas has the potential to reduce ectoparasites without wings such as ticks, chiggers, fleas, and lice; ectoparasites with wings such as mosquitos, horn flies, face flies, and stable flies; and endoparasites affecting livestock and wildlife. This suggests that fire ecology and parasitology be considered as a priority area for future research that has implications for both humans and animals.
authors: Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Agriculture C 2004, Department 3354, 1000 E University Avenue, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA. jscasta@uwyo.edu.
authors: John Derek
authors: JD
authors: Scasta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D005390:Fires; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000254:growth & development; D010271:Parasites / Q000254:growth & development / Q000469:parasitology*
keywords: fire; global change; infectious disease; livestock; medical; parasites