The importance of integrating evolutionary-developmental perspectives into One Health approaches

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Current medical and public health frameworks are siloed, hindering responses to accelerating global pressures like climate change, emerging diseases, and chronic conditions.
• The One Health paradigm integrates human, animal, and environmental health to address interconnected threats through multisectoral approaches.
• Many One Health challenges involve delayed, cumulative outcomes from long-term exposures and environmental changes, making timely responses difficult.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the limitations of current One Health approaches, particularly the delay in detecting and responding to emerging threats.
• To propose integrating evolutionary and developmental insights as a predictive and mechanistic framework for One Health.
• To enhance the effectiveness of One Health solutions for complex, interconnected health challenges.

Main Methods:

• This perspective paper reviews the limitations of existing One Health frameworks.
• It proposes the integration of evolutionary and developmental biology principles.
• The focus is on understanding organismal responses to environmental challenges over time.

Main Results:

• Current One Health approaches struggle with the delayed and cumulative nature of many health threats.
• Evolutionary and developmental insights provide a mechanistic understanding of how organisms adapt to environmental pressures.
• This integration can improve the prediction and management of One Health issues.

Conclusions:

• Integrating evolutionary and developmental biology can significantly enhance the predictive power and effectiveness of One Health strategies.
• A mechanistic framework is crucial for addressing complex, long-term health challenges at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health.
• This approach offers a more robust foundation for tackling future global health crises.