The Road to One Health
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| Autor: | |
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| Format: | artículo original |
| Status: | Versión publicada |
| Data wydania: | 2026 |
| Opis: | Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) have been rising up the political and research agendas for several decades, but with notable urgency since the recent occurrence of multiple pandemics, including COVID-19 and Mpox in people, H5N1 influenza in multiple species and amphibian chytridiomycosis. The majority of human EIDs - probably including COVID-19 have been shown to arise from wildlife, leading to increased interest in the One Health approach. Bats, in particular, have been identified as hosting a range of zoonotic pathogens that cause human infections with high case fatality rates and for which there are no specific therapies or vaccines. Identifying such pathogens of concern and understanding their ecology in their natural hosts is an important step to understanding public health risks, formulating treatments and developing mitigation strategies. As an example, I will present results from a long-term study of selected pathogens hosted by the African straw-coloured fruit bat. Studying pathogen ecology in a tropical African, migratory, volant small mam- mal is not without its challenges, and some of these also will be discussed. While such studies are important, the fundamental drivers of infectious disease emergence are changes to human-wildlife interfaces brought about by human behaviours and activities. These activities also underlie the current biodiversity extinction crisis, compounding their negative impacts on public health: in addition to biodiversity being critical for ecosystem function (and, hence, the provision of public goods such as fresh water, food and carbon sequestration), biodiversity loss has, in itself, been identified as a major driver of infectious disease outbreaks. Further compounding this, is that the main driver of biodiversity loss - livestock production - is a major source of zoonotic pathogensand an important bridge for zoonotic spill-over from wildlife. Is a fundamental change in our food systems required to improve public health and the sustainability of humanity? |
| Kraj: | Portal de Revistas UNA |
| Instytucja: | Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Portal de Revistas UNA |
| Język: | Inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:www.revistas.una.ac.cr:article/22336 |
| Dostęp online: | https://www.revistas.una.ac.cr/index.php/veterinaria/article/view/22336 |
| Słowo kluczowe: | African straw-coloured fruit bat |