Primates and pandemics: A biocultural approach to understanding disease transmission in human and nonhuman primates

Abstract

Investigations into zoonotic disease outbreaks have been largely epidemiological and microbiological, with the primary focus being one of disease control and management. Increasingly though, the human–animal interface has proven to be an important driver for the acquisition and transmission of pathogens in humans, and this requires syncretic bio‐socio‐cultural enquiries into the origins of disease emergence, for more efficacious interventions. A biocultural lens is imperative for the examination of primate‐related zoonoses, for the human‐primate interface is broad and multitudinous, involving both physical and indirect interactions that occur due to shared spaces and ecologies. I use the case example of a viral zoonotic epidemic that is currently endemic to India, the Kysanaur Forest Disease, to show how biocultural anthropology provides a broad and integrative perspective into infectious disease ecology and presents new insights into the determinants of disease outbreaks. Drawing on insights from epidemiology, political ecology, primate behavioral ecology and ethnoprimatology, this paper demonstrates how human‐primate interactions and shared ecologies impact infectious disease spread between human and nonhuman primate groups.

From ancient pathogens to modern pandemics: Integrating evolutionary, ecological, and sociopolitical dynamics of infectious disease and pandemics through biological anthropology

“…Specifically, she demonstrates how cultural factors (such as translocation of monkeys) and sociopolitical factors (that began post colonization and increased pressure of agricultural expansion) can interact to drive zoonotic disease outbreaks such as KFD. Radhakrishna's (2023) careful analysis suggests a more nuanced understanding is needed of the synergistic human-environment interactions that can create local ecologies or "anthromes" that lead to the emergence and spread of infectious disease. Werner et al (2023) also underscore the need for better understanding of the factors that leads to disease emergence in order to better predict future zoonotic outbreaks but point to the paucity of data to inform surveillance measures.…”

“…Nonhuman primates are particularly important zoonotic source with their close evolutionary relationship and increasing proximity to humans with anthropogenic encroachment. Radhakrishna (2023) expands traditional agent–host–environmental models of disease dynamics to consider the role of social factors in emerging infection diseases (EIDs) in her biocultural analysis of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) endemic to India. Specifically, she demonstrates how cultural factors (such as translocation of monkeys) and sociopolitical factors (that began post colonization and increased pressure of agricultural expansion) can interact to drive zoonotic disease outbreaks such as KFD.…”

“…Specifically, she demonstrates how cultural factors (such as translocation of monkeys) and sociopolitical factors (that began post colonization and increased pressure of agricultural expansion) can interact to drive zoonotic disease outbreaks such as KFD. Radhakrishna's (2023) careful analysis suggests a more nuanced understanding is needed of the synergistic human–environment interactions that can create local ecologies or “anthromes” that lead to the emergence and spread of infectious disease.…”

Dispensing with reductionism and dualism: Biological anthropological perspectives towards understanding disease, epidemics, and pandemics

“…Werner et al (2023), for instance, in their assessment of undocumented zoonotic parasites in nonhuman primates, warn of parasitic spillover between non‐human and human populations and urge continued monitoring of high‐risk host populations (of all taxa). This message is reinforced by the contribution of Radhakrishna (2023), whose focus on emerging infectious diseases concludes that, “…there is an urgent need for more in‐depth studies on human‐primate interactions, for a comprehensive understanding of how human actions can drive disease outbreaks” (Radhakrishna, 2023: p. 8). Paleopathology, too, has offered tremendous insight into the appearance, dissemination, change, and/or disappearance of pathogens and host responses.…”

Biocultural and evolutionary approaches to the study of human diseases: Integrative perspectives from biological anthropology

“…Contributions by Radhakrishna (2023) and Werner et al (2023) articulate how research with non‐human primates can provide important insights into patterns of disease transmission and exposure. Radhakrishna uses the example of the Kyansaur Forest Disease (KFD), a tick‐borne viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to southwestern India, to develop a model that explores the social, biological, and ecological correlates of its spread.…”