Phylogeny And Geography Predict Pathogen Community Similarity In Wild Primates And Humans

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry;  HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 05 May 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Emerging infectious diseases are increasingly impacting human health and species conservation. Many of the most deadly diseases known to mankind have originated among wild animals, e.g. AIDS and Ebola.

A critical question, therefore, is what determines when and where a disease first crosses from one species to another. We show that in primates infectious diseases are most often shared between species which are closely related and inhabit the same geographic region.

For humans, this means we may be most vulnerable to diseases from the great apes, which includes chimpanzees and gorillas, because these species represent our closest relatives.

"Phylogeny and geography predict pathogen community similarity in wild primates and humans"
T. Jonathan Davies, Amy B. Pedersen
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
DOI 10.1098/rspb.2008.0284
Click here to view Abstract online

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