1. Global parasite and Rattus rodent invasions: The consequences for rodent-borne diseases.
- Author
-
Morand S, Bordes F, Chen HW, Claude J, Cosson JF, Galan M, Czirják GÁ, Greenwood AD, Latinne A, Michaux J, and Ribas A
- Subjects
- Animals, Host-Parasite Interactions, Humans, Parasitic Diseases, Animal immunology, Parasitic Diseases, Animal transmission, Rodent Diseases immunology, Rodent Diseases transmission, Zoonoses transmission, Introduced Species, Parasitic Diseases, Animal parasitology, Rats parasitology, Rodent Diseases parasitology, Zoonoses parasitology
- Abstract
We summarize the current knowledge on parasitism-related invasion processes of the globally invasive Rattus lineages, originating from Asia, and how these invasions have impacted the local epidemiology of rodent-borne diseases. Parasites play an important role in the invasion processes and successes of their hosts through multiple biological mechanisms such as "parasite release," "immunocompetence advantage," "biotic resistance" and "novel weapon." Parasites may also greatly increase the impact of invasions by spillover of parasites and other pathogens, introduced with invasive hosts, into new hosts, potentially leading to novel emerging diseases. Another potential impact is the ability of the invader to amplify local parasites by spillback. In both cases, local fauna and humans may be exposed to new health risks, which may decrease biodiversity and potentially cause increases in human morbidity and mortality. Here we review the current knowledge on these processes and propose some research priorities., (© 2015 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF