Land-Use Change and Emerging Infectious Disease on an Island Continent

Abstract

A more rigorous and nuanced understanding of land-use change (LUC) as a driver of emerging infectious disease (EID) is required. Here we examine post hunter-gatherer LUC as a driver of infectious disease in one biogeographical region with a compressed and documented history—continental Australia. We do this by examining land-use and native vegetation change (LUCC) associations with infectious disease emergence identified through a systematic (1973–2010) and historical (1788–1973) review of infectious disease literature of humans and animals. We find that 22% (20) of the systematically reviewed EIDs are associated with LUCC, most frequently where natural landscapes have been removed or replaced with agriculture, plantations, livestock or urban development. Historical clustering of vector-borne, zoonotic and environmental disease emergence also follows major periods of extensive land clearing. These advanced stages of LUCC are accompanied by changes in the distribution and density of hosts and vectors, at varying scales and chronology. This review of infectious disease emergence in one continent provides valuable insight into the association between accelerated global LUC and concurrent accelerated infectious disease emergence.

Validation of a Previously Developed Geospatial Model That Predicts the Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in New York State Produce Fields

“…In the present work, edge interactions between produce farms and four other land cover types (i.e., forest, scrubland, water, and wetland) were observed. The elevated prevalence of L. monocytogenes in ecotones (i.e., the transitional area where two ecological communities meet) is consistent with patterns observed in other disease systems (e.g., Lyme disease [67][68][69][70]). This is also consistent with our current understanding of infectious disease emergence, as they frequently arise at the interface between human habitats and other ecosystems (67)(68)(69)(70)(71).…”

Mosquito vector‐associated microbiota: Metabarcoding bacteria and eukaryotic symbionts across habitat types in Thailand endemic for dengue and other arthropod‐borne diseases

“…Thus, shifts in the communities of nonpathogenic vector‐associated microbes in response to ecological changes and distribution of vectors could affect the distribution of pathogens across human‐modified landscapes. The relationship between increased threats to human health via infectious microbes and land‐use change and/or biodiversity loss has been reported in several systems, linked to urbanization, agricultural intensification, and deforestation (McFarlane, Sleigh, & McMichael, 2013; Olson, Gangnon, Silveira, & Patz, 2010; Vitter et al., 2006; Wilcox & Colwell, 2005). Our results highlight the importance of subsequent investigation to determine how symbiotic microbial diversity of mosquito vectors responds to habitat change and the implications for human health.…”

Patterns of Ecological Change and Emerging Infectious Disease in the Australasian Region

“…To examine the hypothesis that ecological change accounts for a substantial component of the rise in zoonotic EIDs, a series of transdisciplinary studies based on the Australasian region were designed by the author under the doctoral supervision of Professors Tony McMichael and Adrian Sleigh and Dr Peter Black (McFarlane et al, , 2012(McFarlane et al, , 2013(McFarlane et al, , 2014. These studies reflected Tony's support for research that explored the awkward, important issues, and for epidemiology that -in an inventive and insightful way -sought to address these challenges.…”

“…In Australia, the country with the largest EID literature in the region, 90 diseases (59 diseases of humans, of which 30 were zoonoses; 12 diseases of domestic animals; 18 diseases of terrestrial wildlife) meet the criteria for emerging or re-emerging diseases in the interval 1973-2010(McFarlane et al, 2013. Of the human diseases, 51 per cent are zoonotic (66 per cent of these from wildlife), 15 per cent are classified as environmental pathogens and 10 per cent are AMR pathogens.…”