Livestock, biodiversity and emergence of pandemics

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to summarize the actual knowledge on the dynamics of emergence and epidemics of zoonoses. First, by recognizing that the process of domestication is structuring the ecology and epidemiology of past zoonoses as well as current emergences and epidemics. Second, by showing how the increase in animal husbandry seems to be an essential factor in the epidemiological dynamics and the emergence of new zoonoses. The link between livestock, biodiversity and zoonoses is explained by the fact that domesticated animals are epidemiological bridges between wildlife and humans. Any increase in the densities of livestock and particularly in countries with high biodiversity is therefore assumed to increase the risks of zoonotic outbreaks. The lack of a good understanding of the emergence and transmission of zoonoses should not, however, prevent us from taking better action to prevent local zoonotic risks nor global health crises.