Natural and Anthropogenic Drivers of Viral Emergence

Abstract

Emerging infectious diseases are causing outbreaks with loss of human and animal lives and may have large economic and societal impacts. There may be both natural and anthropogenic drivers behind the emergence of viral diseases. Zoonotic diseases are more commonly emerging, and because RNA viruses have an inherent tendency to change, they are overrepresented among emerging diseases. Apart from the naturally occurring changes in the pathogens, humans also contribute to disease emergence by contributing to changes in land use and climate, which in turn affects ecosystems and biodiversity. This chapter reviews the different mechanisms behind viral disease emergence, as well as presents a framework evaluating the spill-over of zoonotic diseases at the human-wildlife-livestock interfaces. The chapter starts with discussing viral evolution and moves towards global changes and the impact on diseases, with a particular focus on vector-borne viruses.

Keywords

Arbovirus; Climate change; Disease drivers; Disease spillover event; Disease transmission; Ecosystem services; Emerging infectious diseases; Globalization; Human-animal interface; Land-use change; Urbanization; Vector ecology; Vectorborne disease; Virology; Zoonosis

Published in

Title: Emerging Trends in Veterinary Virology
Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

SLU Authors

• Lindahl, Johanna

  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
  • Uppsala University

UKÄ Subject classification

Clinical Science
Environmental Sciences and Nature Conservation

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/9789815036961122010003
• ISBN: 9789815036985
• eISBN: 9789815036961

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/142858