In field experiments manipulating generalist pathogens and host community composition, the presence of a highly susceptible reservoir species drove disease dynamics in multiple nonreservoir species, sometimes decreasing their abundance through apparent competition. The dynamics of generalist pathogens in multispecies host communities remain a major frontier for disease ecology. Of particular interest are how host community structure controls pathogen transmission and how disease spread feeds back to influence the host community. Pathogen spillover occurs when epidemics in a host population are driven not by transmission within that population but by transmission from a reservoir population. Here we review examples of spillover in pathogens infecting humans, domesticated animals, and crops, noting that most empirical evidence for spillover results from nonmanipulative, observational studies. We then present results from two field experiments utilizing an experimentally tractable model system of annual wild grasses and a generalist virus, the barley yellow dwarf virus. In these experiments, the presence of a highly susceptible reservoir species, Avena fatua (wild oats), greatly increased pathogen prevalence in several other species. This result demonstrates pathogen spillover and illustrates the crucial role of host community structure in controlling the dynamics of generalist pathogens. Further, pathogen spillover from A. fatua decreased the abundance of two other host species through pathogen-mediated apparent competition. Thus, our results provide experimental support for theoretical predictions of strong feedbacks between host community structure and generalist disease dynamics.

/pdf/pathogen-spillover-in-disease-epidemics-4xh824gf6g.pdf

Pathogen spillover in disease epidemics

Recent outbreaks of rabies and canine distemper in wildlife populations of the Serengeti show that infectious disease constitutes a significant cause of mortality that can result in regional extirpation of endangered species even within large, well-protected areas. Nevertheless, effective management of an infectious disease depends critically on understanding the epidemiological dynamics of the causative pathogen. Pathogens with short infection cycles cannot persist in small populations in the absence of a more permanent reservoir of infection. Development of appropriate interventions requires detailed data on transmission pathways between reservoirs and wildlife populations of conservation concern. Relevant data can be derived from long-term population monitoring, epidemic and case-surveillance patterns, genetic analyses of rapidly evolving pathogens, serological surveys, and intervention studies. We examined studies of carnivore diseases in the Serengeti. Epidemiological research contributes to wildlife conservation policy in terms of management of endangered populations and the integration of wildlife conservation with public health interventions. Long-term, integrative, cross-species research is essential for formulation of effective policy for disease control and optimization of ecosystem health.

/pdf/the-conservation-relevance-of-epidemiological-research-into-whe1rgg5ia.pdf

The conservation relevance of epidemiological research into carnivore viral diseases in the serengeti.

Fatal canine distemper infection in a pack of African wild dogs in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania

https://escholarship.org/content/qt8kd9b42d/qt8kd9b42d.pdf?t=qajr6d

The effect of protected areas on pathogen exposure in endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) populations

Rabies has been a widely feared disease for thousands of years, with records of rabid dogs as early as ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts. The reputation of rabies as being inevitably fatal, together with its ability to affect all mammalian species, contributes to the fear surrounding this disease. However, the widely held view that exposure to the rabies virus is always fatal has been repeatedly challenged. Although survival following clinical infection in humans has only been recorded on a handful of occasions, a number of studies have reported detection of rabies-specific antibodies in the sera of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife that are apparently healthy and unvaccinated. These ‘seropositive’ individuals provide possible evidence of exposure to the rabies virus that has not led to fatal disease. However, the variability in methods of detecting these antibodies and the difficulties of interpreting serology tests have contributed to an unclear picture of their importance. In this review, we consider the evidence for rabies-specific antibodies in healthy, unvaccinated individuals as indicators of nonlethal rabies exposure and the potential implications of this for rabies epidemiology. Our findings indicate that whilst there is substantial evidence that nonlethal rabies exposure does occur, serology studies that do not use appropriate controls and cutoffs are unlikely to provide an accurate estimate of the true prevalence of nonlethal rabies exposure.

/pdf/rabies-virus-neutralising-antibodies-in-healthy-unvaccinated-37w7f9qc1q.pdf

Rabies virus-neutralising antibodies in healthy, unvaccinated individuals: What do they mean for rabies epidemiology?

LAURENSON, K., VAN HEERDEN, J., STANDER, P. & VAN VUUREN, M.J. 1997. Seroepidemiological survey of sympatric domestic and wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in Tsumkwe District, north-eastern Namibia. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 64:313-316 Disease is a potential threat to many endangered populations and may originate from sympatric domestic species. This paper describes a cross-sectional serological survey of canine pathogens carried out in domestic (n = 70) and wild dogs (Lycoan pictus) (n = 6) , in Tsumkwe District, north­ eastern Namibia. Evidence of past exposure to canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus and para­ influenza virus was evident in both wild and domestic dogs with this, the first, documented expo­ sure of free-living wild dogs to canine distemper. Domestic dogs were also exposed to rabies virus, canine parvovirus and coronavirus. There was no pathogen to which wild dogs, but not domestic dogs, were exposed. With wild dogs known to be susceptible to rabies and canine distemper, these may be the greatest threat to this population of wild dogs, although some wild dogs can clearly survive infection with canine distemper.

/pdf/seroepidemiological-survey-of-sympatric-domestic-and-wild-21xtg9k5j6.pdf

Seroepidemiological survey of sympatric domestic and wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in Tsumkwe District, north-eastern Namibia

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Seroepidemiological survey of sympatric domestic and wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in Tsumkwe District, north-eastern Namibia