Infectious Disease in Wild vs Captive Primate Populations
One of the more common debates in disease ecology and the study of wildlife trade is whether captive or wild populations have a greater parasite load. Some argue that captive populations, because they have access to veterinary care, should have a lower parasite load than their wild counterparts. Conversely, captive populations, because they often live at high densities in close proximity to other species, may have more opportunity for exposure and thus greater parasite loads that wild populations. Kate and Julie are working with Sonia Altizer's Lab Group at The University of Georgia to investigate variation in parasite composition, richness, and prevalence between captive and wild primate populations. Check out the Global Mammal Parasite Database to learn about the data we're using in this project and other research on the biogeography of disease in mammals.
Globalization of Human Infectious Disease
Globalization has facilitated the spread of numerous infectious agents
to all corners of the planet. Analysis of the Global Infectious Disease
and Epidemiology Network (GIDEON) database quantitatively illustrates
that the globalization of human infectious agents depends significantly
on the range of hosts used. Infectious agents specific to humans are
broadly and uniformly distributed, whereas zoonotic infectious agents
are far more localized in their geographical distribution. Moreover,
these patterns vary depending on transmission mode and infectious agent
taxonomy. This dichotomy is unlikely to persist if certain aspects of
globalization (for example, exotic species introductions) continue
unabated. This raises a serious concern for public health and leaves
nations with the task of determining the infectious agents that have
the greatest potential to establish within their borders. At the advent
of a century characterized by an apparent increase in emerging
infectious diseases, these results have critical implications for
public-health policy and future research pathways of infectious disease
ecology.
Smith K.F., Sax, D.F., Gaines, S.D., Guernier, V., Guegan, J.F. 2007. Globalization of human infectious diseases. Ecology 88: 1903 - 1910. reprint
Rats, Disease, and Island Invasions
Introduced species have the potential to outperform natives in two primary ways: via increased rates of predation and competition, and via the introduction of new parasites against which native species often lack effective immune defences. To assess the extent to which invasive species’ parasites spread to native hosts, we compared the composition of helminth parasites found in introduced black rat (Rattus rattus) and endemic deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) populations on a subset of the California Channel Islands. Results suggest that the whipworm, Trichuris muris, may have spread from introduced black rats to endemic island deer mice and has continued to thrive in one island population where rats were recently eradicated. These results yield two important conservation messages: (1) although the parasites introduced with invasive species may be few, they should not be ignored as they can spread to native species, and (2) introduced parasites have the potential to remain in a system even after their founding host is extirpated. These findings underscore the importance of parasitological surveys in invasive species research and baseline data for ecosystems where exotic species are likely to invade.
Smith,
K.F. and
Carpenter, S. 2006. Spread of exotic black rat parasites to endemic deer mice
on the California Channel Islands. Diversity and Distributions 12: 742-748. reprint