Emerging Zoonotic and Wildlife Pathogens : Disease Ecology, Epidemiology, and Conservation

The first textbook to describe the ecology and epidemiology of wildlife and zoonotic (animal-to-human) infectious diseases and the applications to conservation biology and public health. Examples of disease agents enliven the text and illustrate many of the theories presented.

This accessible book describes a fascinating range of emerging infectious disease outbreaks affecting humans, including rabies, Ebola virus, Lyme disease, bubonic plague, and of course, Covid-19. The book also covers emerging infectious diseases in wildlife, such as Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease, white nose syndrome, mange, and musk ox lungworm. These case studies span the entire range of zoonotic disease emergence pathways, from sheep testicles in Wyoming, USA to butchered bush rats in Vietnam! Transmission dynamics are examined from diverse perspectives - from global drivers of pathogen emergence (including globalization, land use patterns, and changing climates) to outbreak epidemiology (epidemic curves and disease spillover), to conservation and control interventions.Despite a recent explosion of courses on the topic, and a viral pandemic that has affected the entire world, this is the first textbook to focus on pathogen spillover ecology at the human—wildlife interface. Emerging Zoonotic and Wildlife Pathogens serves as an introduction to this multidisciplinary field for upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students interested in disease ecology, veterinary epidemiology, public health, and conservation. It will also be relevant to a broader interdisciplinary audience of conservation biologists and public health specialists, and even the interested public.