Influenza A viruses, specifically highly contagious avian influenza viruses, pose many risks to certain avian species, the agricultural industry, and public health. Humans can be infected with the virus by coming in contact with infected birds or their surrounding environments. Influenza A viruses (IAV) threaten poultry production in the United […]
The Impact of Deforestation on Transmission of Disease to Humans By: Brenna Daly The environmental changes caused by deforestation have significant effects on wildlife communities and alter how humans and wildlife interact. These changes in the environment contribute to increased human health risk, specifically from zoonotic spillover potential (the transmission […]
Honey bees serve as an immense agricultural and economic source of influence, providing honey and vital pollination services. However, honey bees are also prone to disease and parasitic infection, which has contributed to their decline in recent years, along with pesticide use and nutritional stress. Controlling varroa mites and similar […]
Mosquitoes pose a significant threat to human health as vectors for diseases such as malaria, dengue and many other life-threatening illnesses. Because of their potential to cause significant health issues, researchers are continuously studying how mosquitoes disseminate disease and what factors could put someone more at risk of coming into […]
Infections from helminths, also known as parasitic worms, can result in a health burden on the host species and pose significant ecological consequences. Understanding the dynamics behind parasite transmission, including possible environmental conditions that may play a role, is vital to understanding disease transmission more broadly. Mole crabs are affected […]
When humans alter the natural landscape, it increases the risk of zoonotic spillover, which is when a disease jumps from wildlife to humans. Disease spillover can be dangerous because it introduces novel illnesses that may be difficult to control or treat in human populations. These disease spillover events can occur […]
Wasps are rarely regarded as endearing creatures, but perhaps none less so than parasitoid wasps. Parasitoid wasps are a large family of wasp species that implant their eggs or larvae in or on the bodies of certain insect hosts, eventually leading to the death of that insect. This implantation becomes […]
Epidemics can isolate people from one another, negatively affect the health of people across the world and cause economic declines that take countries months to years to recover from. Avoiding these epidemic impacts can be essential to preserving human wellbeing, but it remains extremely difficult when there is little understanding […]
The Versteria genus includes two species of tapeworm, the Versteria mustelae, and an unnamed species that has been implicated in the fatal infections of various intermediate host species across North America. Given that relatively little is known about this unnamed species, researchers are interested in further characterizing the tapeworm and […]
As urbanization continues to expand globally, wild animals like foxes, coyotes, Anolis lizards and many songbirds are increasingly found in urban areas. Changes in the behavior of individual animals that allow them to thrive in cities and suburbs can result in habitat specialization, where some individuals almost exclusively use urban […]
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