Sacred cows and sympathetic squirrels: the importance of biological diversity to human health

Abstract

Dobson and colleagues describe how some host species act to reduce the risk of transmission of virulent zoonotic pathogens to humans.

Figure 1. Cow and Proud Owner in Dacca, Bangladesh

Figure 2. Two Juvenile White-Footed Mice ( Peromyscus leucopus) That Have Been Placed in a Plastic Pail before Being Marked with Ear Tags and Released

Mice are important reservoirs for the pathogens that cause Lyme disease, human babesiosis, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and many other diseases. They thrive in low-diversity vertebrate communities that support few predators and competitors.

Figure 3. A Bobcat ( Lynx rufus) Drawn to a Scent Lure Placed near an Infrared-Triggered Camera

This species is highly sensitive to forest fragmentation, requiring extensive tracts of habitat to support viable populations. Bobcats and other species of mammalian carnivores are important components of diversity that appear to function both as regulators of pathogen reservoirs such as white-footed mice and as hosts that might deflect tick meals away from more competent reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens.