The land use–food–coronavirus nexus

Abstract

The land use-food-coronavirus nexus Land use change, livestock production and human encroachment into wildlife habitats drive zoonotic emergence. Quantitative analyses of horseshoe bat populations provide evidence for how food systems may contribute to hotspots of potential zoonotic spillover.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in animals: Patterns, transmission routes, and drivers

“…Finally, we found that the current studies of SARS-CoV-2 in animals related to land management only focus on bats [ 115 ], despite the fact that land use change can impact the dynamics of wildlife exposure and susceptibility to pathogen infection through various mechanisms. Land use change can facilitate pathogen shedding or excretion from wildlife and create novel contact opportunities that facilitate pathogen spread between species [ 116 ].…”

Messaging Should Reflect the Nuanced Relationship between Land Change and Zoonotic Disease Risk

“…Whatever the process or the pattern of land change, it is thought that some adaptable and mobile wildlife, such as rodents, may respond by resettling in adjacent human habitat, taking their pathogens with them (Altizer et al 2011 , Hernández-Camacho et al 2012 , Ferreira-Junior et al 2018 , Mendoza et al 2020 , Santini 2021 ). It is, however, not certain whether their relocation is a response to land change or simply a preference for accessible human habitat.…”