Category: Pathogens and disease

Invasive species, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

How can control of invading plant pathogens increase their rate of spread? How can we prevent it?

Ryan Sharp and colleagues investigate the answers to both of these questions and discuss their recent work, The effect of competition on the control of invading plant pathogens, published in Journal of Applied Ecology.

When pathogens invade into an area, they may find themselves in competition with already endemic pathogen strains. This competition can severely limit the spread of the invader. Control methods generally do not distinguish between pathogen strains. Therefore, when control is applied, both invasive and endemic strains are affected. Continue reading How can control of invading plant pathogens increase their rate of spread? How can we prevent it?

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Coastal and marine, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

Predator and scavenger movements as opportunities for pathogen spread among endangered seabirds

Infectious diseases have recently been acknowledged as an important threat for wild populations, notably seabirds. In order to implement efficient surveillance and management programmes, it is critical to look beyond the sick individuals to identify the individuals or species involved in cryptic epidemiological processes, such as pathogen spread. Amandine Gamble et al. summarise their recent research on the potential role of predators and scavengers in … Continue reading Predator and scavenger movements as opportunities for pathogen spread among endangered seabirds

Journal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Coastal and marine, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries, Translation

Comportement alimentaire des prédateurs et charognards et opportunités pour la dissémination d’agents pathogènes

Les maladies infectieuses sont depuis peu reconnues comme une menace importante pour les populations sauvages, notamment les oiseaux marins. Afin de mettre en place des mesures de surveillance et de gestion efficaces, il est essentiel de regarder au-delà de l’animal malade pour pouvoir identifier les individus ou espèces impliqués dans les processus épidémiologiques cryptiques, tels que la dissémination d’agents pathogènes. Amandine Gamble et collaborateurs résument … Continue reading Comportement alimentaire des prédateurs et charognards et opportunités pour la dissémination d’agents pathogènes

Journal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Editor's Choice, Human-wildlife interactions, Pathogens and disease

Editor’s Choice 56:11 – badger behaviour compromises TB eradication efforts

Our November Editor’s Choice article raises the question of whether the culling of badgers could increase the risk of TB spread in cattle, as badgers in culled areas travel further. Associate Editor, Andrew Park, looks at context and management implications of Ham et al.’s recent findings. Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is an important livestock disease in the UK, where it has been increasing since the 1990s … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 56:11 – badger behaviour compromises TB eradication efforts

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Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

The amorphous, heterogeneous spatial spread of Wolbachia

Penelope A. Hancock presents recently published work on ‘Predicting the spatial dynamics of Wolbachia infections in Aedes aegypti arbovirus vector populations in heterogeneous landscapes‘. Uncertainty surrounding density-dependent mosquito population growth rates prevents us from predicting the outcome of mosquito control interventions. A timely example is the introduction of Wolbachia bacterial infections into wild Aedes aegypti populations, the major vector of the dengue, Zika and chikungunya … Continue reading The amorphous, heterogeneous spatial spread of Wolbachia

Journal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

The devil is in the details: managing small populations to combat disease-led decline

Following the recent post by Billie Lazenby, Ellery McNaughton & Associate Editor Margaret Stanley share their thoughts on the article, Density trends and demographic signals uncover the long-term impact of transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils and the importance of focusing on external threats to Tasmanian devils. New research by Lazenby et al. highlights the important interplay between disease ecology and population dynamics in informing conservation management. Wild … Continue reading The devil is in the details: managing small populations to combat disease-led decline

Journal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Pathogens and disease, Perspectives, Research summaries, Themed collections

Spotlight: Forecasting and preventing the next outbreak – perspectives on infectious disease management

The Spotlight for issue 54:3 is on wildlife diseases. This post is written by Samantha Rumschlag and Jeremy Cohen. All five Spotlight papers are available to read here. In an ever-changing world, the risk of disease emergence is on the rise. As the climate warms, ranges of parasites and disease vectors are predicted to shift, exposing naïve populations to new threats. Humans are put in closer … Continue reading Spotlight: Forecasting and preventing the next outbreak – perspectives on infectious disease management

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