Wildlife disease emregence, investigation and management

Question 0

In what ways is human contact with wildlife increasing?

Answer 0

Urbanisation and deforestation
Live markets are an ideal melting pot for spillover to take place
Social and cultural practices such as the consumption of bush meat

Question 1

How do we encounter pathogens carried by wild animals?

Answer 1

Kill wildlife and eat/trade their body parts
Capture and trade live wildlife and mix species together in markets
Encroach upon wilderness areas at increasing dramatic scales

Question 2

What are the human factors for zoonosis emergence?

Answer 2

Global traffic, deforestation, climate change, bush meat/wet markets, illegal smuggled meat, exotic pets, ecotourism, grazing animals in wild/conservation areas

Question 3

What impact can wildlife diseases have on conservation?

Answer 3

Ebola could result in wiping out of gorillas so conservationists want to vaccinate to protect them
Devil facial tumour disease (bottleneck = genetically similar -> if one with disease bites one without and transfers cells they aren’t seen as genetically different = disease transferred)
Amphibian chytridiomuycosis = fungal disease affecting amphibians caused by release of lab frogs and has wiped out several species

Question 4

What are some challenges of studying wildlife populations?

Answer 4

Disrupting ecology => more spread so more movement
Harm to humans through bites/scratches
Difficult to get sample required (use of anaesthetics)
Representative? Sicker animals more easily trapped? Trap bias?
May not have diagnostic test needed
Unknown population sizes
Hard to find/rare species - nocturnal
Access to sites/permissions/multiple permits
Transportation of equipment to field
Information often needed quickly due to an outbreak
Funding is often scarce and expertise is often even scarcer

Question 5

What are some cases of where there are challenges of wildlife investigation?

Answer 5

TB - evidence, politics, law
Ebola - ingrained cultural practices, weakened government after civil turmoil, inadequate health care, shortage of trained healthcare professtionals, high population density and poverty in capital cities, suspicion of Western medicine, traditional funeral practices, importance of bats