Origins of major human infectious diseases
Origins of major human infectious diseases
Many of the major human infectious diseases, including some now confined to humans and absent from animals, are ‘new’ ones that arose only after the origins of agriculture. Where did they come from? Why are they overwhelmingly of Old World origins? Here we show that answers to these questions are different for tropical and temperate diseases; for instance, in the relative importance of domestic animals and wild primates as sources. We identify five intermediate stages through which a pathogen exclusively infecting animals may become transformed into a pathogen exclusively infecting humans. We propose an initiative to resolve disputed origins of major diseases, and a global early warning system to monitor pathogens infecting individuals exposed to wild animals.
Origins of major human infectious diseases
Origins of major human infectious diseases
News
Young People Turn To Collectivism Because Of These Psychological Disparities
By Brandon Smith
Posted 16 Dec
The Cover-Up Continues: The Truth About Bill Gates, Microsoft, and Jeffrey Epstein
By Whitney Webb
Posted 7 Jul
CDC Ignores Inquiry Into Increasing Number of Deaths, Injuries Reported After COVID Vaccines
By Megan Redshaw
Posted 22 Mar
Edited
Comments
There have been no comments yet