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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
10:17
Cities As Interfaces of Zoonotic Hazard Emergence: Development of the New York City Tick and Wildlife Urban Surveillance System
Published on: March 10, 2026
A testable eco-evolutionary framework for zoonotic emergence
Babatunde Ibrahim Olowu1, Adeyemi Shammah Oluwaseyi2, Abdulhakeem Opeyemi Azeez3
1Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, USA.
Summary
Zoonotic spillover, the transmission of pathogens between animals and humans, is a major driver of emerging infectious diseases. This review proposes a new framework viewing spillover as an emergent outcome of interacting ecological and evolutionary processes, not isolated events.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Zoonotic spillover drives emerging infectious diseases but is often studied as pathogen-specific.
- Current research limitations hinder generalization and early outbreak prediction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a pathogen-agnostic framework for understanding zoonotic spillover.
- To position spillover as an emergent outcome of interacting ecological and evolutionary processes.
Main Methods:
- Developed a conceptual and operational framework based on eco-evolutionary principles.
- Identified four key pillars: pathogen evolvability, host network architecture, environmental mediation, and selective filtering.
- Proposed measurable indicators and empirical approaches from genomics, ecology, and network analysis.
Main Results:
- Spillover risk emerges nonlinearly from the convergence of interacting ecological and evolutionary processes.
- The framework is operationalized with measurable indicators for diverse pathogen systems.
- Comparative and longitudinal study designs are discussed for evaluating spillover dynamics.
Conclusions:
- Reframing spillover as a dynamic eco-evolutionary system offers a comparative foundation for research.
- The framework supports improved surveillance, early warning, and intervention strategies.
- This approach is crucial for addressing zoonotic emergence amid environmental changes.
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