Disease Ecology Flashcards
Disease ecology
Understanding the
relationships between pathogens,
hosts, and their environments.
Epizootiology
How and why diseases in wildlife populations occur
Pathogens
Infectious, disease producing agents
(bacteria, viruses)
Etiology
Study of the cause of disease
Reservoir
Population where a disease is dormant or active, providing a source for infection (e.g., bats with
rabies)
Vector
Any organism that carries and transmits to host
from a reservoir
Non-infectious diseases
Those caused by genetic disorders,
food, or the environment
Infectious diseases
Those caused by infection of a host
with an organisms – a pathogen
Why are infectious diseases more prevalent at certain times more than others?
All of the below (above)
A) Changes in pathogen
B) Changes in host populations
C) Ecological changes in the reservoir/vector population
D) Environmental change
Disease and Apparent Competition
One species is can outcompete if it transmits a parasite to competitor
Grey squirrels in Europe are acting as the ________ with respect to the Parapox virus impact on Red squirrels?
Vector
Epizootic disease
meaning its an outbreak where large amounts of animals die (epidemic)
Enzootic disease
Low occurrence (endemic)
Measure of parasite fitness:
R0 = measure of parasite fitness
R0 > 1; epidemic
R0 < 1; pathogen extinction
R0 = 1; endemic