Greater migratory propensity in hosts lowers pathogen transmission and impacts.

ABSTRACT: Animal migrations are spectacular and migratory species have been shown to transmit pathogens that pose risks to human health. Although migration is commonly assumed to enhance pathogen dispersal, empirical work indicates that migration can often have the opposite effect of lowering disease risk. Key to assessing disease threats to migratory species is the ability to predict how migratory behaviour influences pathogen invasion success and impacts on migratory hosts, thus motivating a mechanistic understanding of migratory host-pathogen interactions. Here, we develop a quantitative framework to examine pathogen transmission in animals that undergo two-way directed migrations between wintering and breeding grounds annually. Using the case of a pathogen transmitted during the host's breeding

SUBMITTER: Hall RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4112027 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature