Socio‐ecological drivers of multiple zoonotic hazards in highly urbanized cities

Abstract

Zoonotic diseases, caused by pathogens transmitted between human and wildlife populations, most often emerge at human-wildlife interfaces where there is an increased likelihood of direct or indirect contact between people and infectious hosts and/or vectors (Hassell et al., 2017;Soulsbury & White, 2015). Urban landscapes are increasingly recognized as habitat for wildlife across both green

Examining the paradox of urban disease ecology by linking the perspectives of Urban One Health and Ecology with Cities

“…Increased species richness has been observed to reduce the pathogen load in reservoirs and vectors, thus protecting human health, a phenomenon known as the dilution effect (Keesing et al 2006;Lõhmus and Balbus 2015). When biodiverse spatiotemporal scales in highly heterogeneous landscapes (Douglas 2012;LaDeau et al 2015;Hassell et al 2017;Santiago-Alarcon and MacGregor-Fors 2020;Combs et al 2022). Further, various characteristics of urban systems may have contrasting influences on biodiversity, disease risk, and human health, leading to management tradeoffs and localized, site-specific dynamics that are difficult to generalize and predict (Douglas 2012;Gottdenker et al 2014;LaDeau et al 2015;Lõhmus and Balbus 2015;Rothenburger et al 2017;Marselle et al 2021;Combs et al 2022).…”

“…When biodiverse spatiotemporal scales in highly heterogeneous landscapes (Douglas 2012;LaDeau et al 2015;Hassell et al 2017;Santiago-Alarcon and MacGregor-Fors 2020;Combs et al 2022). Further, various characteristics of urban systems may have contrasting influences on biodiversity, disease risk, and human health, leading to management tradeoffs and localized, site-specific dynamics that are difficult to generalize and predict (Douglas 2012;Gottdenker et al 2014;LaDeau et al 2015;Lõhmus and Balbus 2015;Rothenburger et al 2017;Marselle et al 2021;Combs et al 2022). Cities, in particular, have traditionally been considered as facilitating the spillover and spread of zoonotic pathogens due to higher density of large human populations living closely with zoonotic reservoirs (Alirol et al 2011;Neiderud 2015;Hassell et al 2017;Rothenburger et al 2017).…”

“…Thus, in any given urban system, the net health outcomes of the urban disease ecology paradox are modulated by specific combinations and tradeoffs of anthropogenic and environmental variables interacting at multiple scales, from individually owned parcels through cities and entire urbanized regions (Fig. 1) (Douglas 2012; Lõhmus and Balbus 2015; Santiago-Alarcon and MacGregor-Fors 2020; Combs et al 2022). Given such spatiotemporal and social-ecological complexity, new approaches to better examine and communicate about the interplay of social, technological, biological and environmental variables of the urban disease ecology paradox are needed to help communities and individuals navigate zoonotic disease risk (Douglas 2012;Corburn 2015;Hassell et al 2017;Combs et al 2022).…”

Meta-Analysis of the Relative Abundance of Nuisance and Vector Mosquitoes in Urban and Blue-Green Spaces

“…A variety of BGSs exist within a city’s limits, though they vary in their biological composition, structure, and size. These differences could be explained by differences in BGSs, differing climates in different cities, and landscape connectivity and pollution [ 40 ]. For example, our BGSs criteria combined areas such as cemeteries with riparian corridors containing streams; the propensity for these two areas to flood and produce flood-water mosquitoes is likely different.…”

“…Wildlife communities in BGSs are more diverse than in traditional urban areas [ 34 ]. Furthermore, urban landscape structure may influence the distribution of reservoir hosts and thus interactions with vectors [ 40 ]. Investigation into the effects on reservoir species in the context of zoonotic vector-borne transmission warrants further consideration.…”