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Published on: March 5, 2022
Transmission Pathways in Emerging Infections: Linking Clinical Presentation, Epidemiology, and Outbreak Potential in
Nitin Gupta1, Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas2, Jan Felix Drexler3
1Department of Infectious Disease, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India; Emerging Infections Subcommittee, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Basel, Switzerland; Center of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam Public Health - Global Health, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Summary
Understanding disease transmission pathways is crucial for managing emerging infectious diseases. This review proposes a framework to improve early risk assessment and public health preparedness for novel pathogens.
Area of Science:
- * Epidemiology and Public Health
- * Infectious Disease Dynamics
- * One Health Approaches
Background:
- * Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are influenced by ecological, climatic, and societal changes.
- * Pathogen transmission routes are key determinants of infection establishment, spread, and outbreak generation.
- * Understanding transmission pathways is vital for effective disease control and prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To analyze how transmission pathways affect clinical presentation, epidemiology, and outbreak dynamics of emerging human infections.
- * To develop an operational framework for early risk assessment and public health response to EIDs.
Main Methods:
- * A narrative review of literature from PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science (2010-2025).
- * Inclusion of relevant reviews and seminal articles published prior to the search period.
- * Focus on understanding transmission mechanisms and their impact on disease emergence.
Main Results:
- * Transmission pathways influence disease characteristics such as symptom patterns, asymptomatic spread, and transmissibility.
- * Distinct outbreak patterns (e.g., respiratory, contamination-driven, focal) are linked to specific transmission routes.
- * Host factors and environmental conditions modify disease spread and potential for wider outbreaks.
Conclusions:
- * An operational framework can integrate surveillance, diagnostics, and response strategies based on transmission pathways.
- * This framework aids in identifying high-risk pathways and anticipating amplification settings during early EID emergence.
- * Prospective application supports timely and context-specific preparedness for future infectious threats.
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