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Cited by 482Vector-borne infectious diseasesZoonotic diseases and public healthMosquito-borne diseases and control

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 121 of the 121 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Biodiversity series: The function of biodiversity in the ecology of vector-borne zoonotic diseases

Ostfeld, Richard S, Keesing, Felicia·2000·Canadian Journal of Zoology
DOI 10.1139/z00-172
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Abstract

This is a critical evaluation of the influence of species diversity within communities of vertebrates on the risk of human exposure to vector-borne zoonoses. Vertebrates serve as natural reservoirs of many disease agents (viral, bacterial, protozoal) that are transmitted to humans by blood-feeding arthropod vectors. We describe the natural history of the Lyme disease zoonosis to illustrate interactions among pathogens, vectors, vertebrate hosts, and risk to humans. We then describe how the presence of a diverse assemblage of vertebrates can dilute the impact of the principal reservoir (the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus) of Lyme disease spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi), thereby reducing the disease risk to humans. Exploring the logic of what we call the dilution effect reveals four conditions that are necessary for it to apply generally to vector-borne zoonoses: (1) the feeding habits of the vector are generalized; (2) the pathogen is acquired by the vector from hosts (as opposed to exclusively transovarial transmission); (3) reservoir competence (the ability of a particular host species to infect a vector) varies among host species; and (4) the most competent reservoir host tends to be a community dominant, as defined by the proportion of the tick population fed by that species. When these conditions are met, vertebrate communities with high species diversity will contain a greater proportion of incompetent reservoir hosts that deflect vector meals away from the most competent reservoirs, thereby reducing infection prevalence and disease risk. Incorporating the likelihood that the abundance of competent reservoirs is reduced in more diverse communities, owing to the presence of predators and competitors, reinforces the impact of the dilution effect on the density of infected vectors. A review of the literature reveals the generality, though not the universality, of these conditions, which suggests that the effects of diversity on disease risk may be widespread. Issues in need of further exploration include (i) the relative importance of diversity per se versus fluctuating numbers of particular species; (ii) the relevance of species richness versus evenness to the dilution effect; (iii) whether the dilution effect operates at both local and regional scales; and (iv) the shape of empirically determined curves relating diversity to measures of disease risk. Further studies linking community ecology with epidemiology are warranted.

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Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 17

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Metadata

Authors
Ostfeld, R. S., & Keesing, F.
ORCID
Venue
Canadian Journal of Zoology
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Published
2000-12-01
Volume
78
Issue
12
Pages
2061-2078
ISSN
  • 0008-4301 (ISSN-L)
  • 1480-3283
DOI
10.1139/z00-172
OpenAlex
W2767385477
Semantic Scholar
3f3d36f202dcd8c1782284b035930a76e98eee38
Cited by
482
References
121
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 27
FWCI
3.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining (tdm)
Locations
Canadian Journal of Zoology (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Parasitology › Vector-borne infectious diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Zoonotic diseases and public health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Mosquito-borne diseases and control
Keywords
dilution effect, biodiversity, vector-borne zoonoses, Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, white-footed mouse, reservoir hosts, tick vectors, species diversity, host competence, species richness, species evenness, disease risk

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