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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
11:00
High-throughput Detection of Respiratory Pathogens in Animal Specimens by Nanoscale PCR
Published on: November 28, 2016
Risk factors for human disease emergence
L H Taylor1, S M Latham, M E Woolhouse
1Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK. louise.taylor@ed.ac.uk
Summary
Zoonotic pathogens, those transmissible between animals and humans, are twice as likely to cause emerging diseases. This risk varies by pathogen type, with viruses and protozoa posing higher emergence risks.
Area of Science:
- * Infectious disease epidemiology
- * One Health research
- * Microbiology and Parasitology
Background:
- * 1415 pathogenic species identified, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and helminths.
- * 61% of these pathogens are zoonotic, capable of transmission between humans and animals.
- * 175 pathogenic species are linked to emerging diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To test the hypothesis that zoonotic pathogens are more frequently associated with emerging diseases than non-zoonotic ones.
- * To identify quantitative risk factors for human disease emergence.
Main Methods:
- * Comprehensive literature review of pathogenic organisms.
- * Categorization of pathogens by type (virus, bacteria, etc.) and transmission (zoonotic/non-zoonotic).
- * Statistical analysis to compare emergence rates between zoonotic and non-zoonotic pathogens across taxa.
Main Results:
- * Zoonotic pathogens are twice as likely to be associated with emerging diseases compared to non-zoonotic ones.
- * 75% of emerging pathogens are zoonotic.
- * Emergence likelihood varies by taxa: protozoa and viruses are more likely to emerge, while helminths are less likely, regardless of zoonotic status.
- * No significant association found between transmission route and disease emergence.
Conclusions:
- * Zoonotic status is a significant risk factor for human disease emergence.
- * Specific pathogen taxa (protozoa, viruses) exhibit a higher propensity for emergence.
- * This study provides the first quantitative analysis of risk factors driving human disease emergence.
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