학술논문

Assembling evidence for identifying reservoirs of infection
Document Type
article
Source
Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 29(5)
Subject
Infectious Diseases
2.2 Factors relating to the physical environment
Aetiology
Infection
Good Health and Well Being
Animals
Communicable Diseases
Disease Reservoirs
Epidemiologic Factors
Humans
Zoonoses
Environmental Sciences
Biological Sciences
Evolutionary Biology
Language
Abstract
Many pathogens persist in multihost systems, making the identification of infection reservoirs crucial for devising effective interventions. Here, we present a conceptual framework for classifying patterns of incidence and prevalence, and review recent scientific advances that allow us to study and manage reservoirs simultaneously. We argue that interventions can have a crucial role in enriching our mechanistic understanding of how reservoirs function and should be embedded as quasi-experimental studies in adaptive management frameworks. Single approaches to the study of reservoirs are unlikely to generate conclusive insights whereas the formal integration of data and methodologies, involving interventions, pathogen genetics, and contemporary surveillance techniques, promises to open up new opportunities to advance understanding of complex multihost systems.