Extramural Research
Biodiversity and Human Health:
Grantee Research Project Results
Peter Daszak, Andrew A. Cunningham, Alex D. Hyatt
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.
Science 21 January 2000:
Vol. 287. no. 5452, pp. 443 - 449
DOI: 10.1126/science.287.5452.443 