Land use changes may increase disease outbreak risks

Date:
August 5, 2020
Source:
University College London
Summary:
Global changes in land use are disrupting the balance of wild animal
communities in our environment, and species that carry diseases
known to infect humans appear to be benefiting, finds a new study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Global changes in land use are disrupting the balance of wild animal communities in our environment, and species that carry diseases known
to infect humans appear to be benefiting, finds a new UCL-led study.


==========================================================================
The findings, published in Nature, may have implications for future
spillovers of diseases originating in animal hosts.

The research team, led by the UCL Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research, studied evidence from 6,801 ecological communities from
six continents, and found that animals known to carry pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) that can infect humans were more common
in landscapes intensively used by people.

The evidence was sourced from a dataset of 184 studies incorporating close
to 7,000 species, 376 of which are known to carry human-shared pathogens.

The researchers say we may need to alter how we use land across the
world to reduce the risk of future spillovers of infectious diseases.

Lead author, PhD candidate Rory Gibb (UCL Centre for Biodiversity &
Environment Research) said: "The way humans change landscapes across
the world, from natural forest to farmland for example, has consistent
impacts on many wild animal species, causing some to decline while some
others persist or increase.



==========================================================================
"Our findings show that the animals that remain in more human-dominated environments are those that are more likely to carry infectious diseases
that can make people sick." Species that host zoonotic pathogens (which
can jump from animals to people) constituted a higher proportion of
the animal species found in human-influenced (disturbed) environments
compared to the ecological communities in more wild habitats.

The same relationship is seen for animals that tend to carry more
pathogens of any kind -- whether or not they can affect humans.

In comparison, most other wild animal species are found in lower numbers
in disturbed environments compared to natural habitats. The researchers
say this suggests that similar factors may be influencing both whether
a species can tolerate humans and how likely it is to carry potentially zoonotic diseases.

Co-lead author Dr David Redding (ZSL Institute of Zoology and UCL Centre
for Biodiversity & Environment Research) said: "Other studies have
found that outbreaks of emerging zoonotic infectious diseases appear
to be increasingly common -- our findings may help to explain that
pattern, by clarifying the underlying ecological change processes that
are interacting to drive infection risks." Senior author Professor
Kate Jones (UCL Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research and
ZSL Institute of Zoology) said: "Global land use change is primarily characterised by the conversion of natural landscapes for agriculture, particularly for food production. Our findings underscore the need to
manage agricultural landscapes to protect the health of local people
while also ensuring their food security." The researchers say that while
there are numerous other factors influencing emergent disease risks,
the findings point to strategies that could help mitigate the risk of
further infectious disease outbreaks comparable to COVID- 19.

Professor Jones said: "As agricultural and urban lands are predicted to continue expanding in the coming decades, we should be strengthening
disease surveillance and healthcare provision in those areas that are undergoing a lot of land disturbance, as they are increasingly likely to
have animals that could be hosting harmful pathogens." Dr Redding added:
"Our findings provide a context for thinking about how to manage land
use changes more sustainably, in ways that take into account potential
risks not only to biodiversity, but also to human health."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_College_London. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Rory Gibb, David W. Redding, Kai Qing Chin, Christl A. Donnelly,
Tim M.

Blackburn, Tim Newbold, Kate E. Jones. Zoonotic host diversity
increases in human-dominated ecosystems. Nature, 2020; DOI:
10.1038/s41586-020- 2562-8 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200805124052.htm

--- up 3 weeks, 1 hour, 55 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)