Human behavior influences infectious disease emergence at the human–animal interface

Abstract

Although human behavior is frequently cited as a factor influencing the emergence of disease at the human–animal interface, few empirical studies have demonstrated this relationship. We compare humans and their domestic animals living in close proximity to populations of the endangered African wild dog (AWD, Lycaon pictus) in both Kenya and Botswana. We identify culturally based differences in domestic‐stock grazing practices among pastoralists that strongly influence frequency of contact between domestic dogs and AWDs, with parallel differences in disease‐related mortality in AWD populations. Using this study and other examples, we illustrate a conceptual model of the interaction between human behavior and emerging infectious diseases at the human–domestic‐animal–wildlife interface. Human cultural behavior has the potential to influence pathogen adaptation, host susceptibility, spatial distribution, and pathogen exposure and contact rates between susceptible hosts, reservoir hosts, and pathogen communities. This affects the pathogen's basic reproductive number (R0), ability to invade, and persistence potential. Human behavior may be the key that unlocks the proverbial Pandora's Box, allowing infectious diseases to emerge.

Evidence of Local Persistence of Human Anthrax in the Country of Georgia Associated with Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors

“…Additional environmental factors MIR and LST were also significant in the model. Alkaline soils with adequate moisture (MIR) and an ambient temperature above 15°C (LST) have been suggested as factors related to incubator areas for bacterium [8], [52], [53]. These factors are similar to previous studies that have modeled the potential distribution B. anthracis in the United States and Kazakhstan [7], [8], [50].…”

Climate Change is Likely to Worsen the Public Health Threat of Diarrheal Disease in Botswana

“…Diarrheal disease management approaches must consider the interdependency of transmission pathways and the complexity of interacting drivers related to culture and behavior, socioeconomics, and system ecology [90,108,109]. These drivers also influence the nature of human population dependencies and couplings to the natural environment and resultant feedback processes.…”

Modeling of Wildlife-Associated Zoonoses: Applications and Caveats

“…Human culture and behavior can influence the risk of exposure to wildlife-associated zoonoses (Alexander and McNutt 2010). For example, use of bush meat (meat originating from wildlife), and the risk of human exposure to bush meat-associated pathogens (e.g., brucellosis and Ebola), will vary among communities and families based on traditions that influence meat preferences by species, processing practices, and distribution of animal meat and products among family members and elders (Alexander et al 2012).…”

“…What factors contribute to the successful invasion of a zoonotic pathogen from a wildlife reservoir to a human host? Although a wide array of cultural, socioeconomic, and ecological drivers have been identified as important in the emergence of infectious disease (Bryan et al 1994;Morse 1995;Alexander and McNutt 2010), we still do not have the capacity to accurately forecast when and where the next pathogen will emerge, particularly for zoonotic diseases involving wildlife hosts. Weak surveillance capacity and concern over the increased emergence of zoonotic infectious disease prompted the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), together with their partners, to convene a committee tasked with identifying improved surveillance and outbreak responses to emerging zoonotic diseases (Beatty et al 2008).…”