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Science 21 January 2000:
Vol. 287. no. 5452, pp. 443 - 449
DOI: 10.1126/science.287.5452.443
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Review

Emerging Infectious Diseases of Wildlife-- Threats to Biodiversity and Human Health

Peter Daszak, 12* Andrew A. Cunningham, 3 Alex D. Hyatt 4

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) of free-living wild animals can be classified into three major groups on the basis of key epizootiological criteria: (i) EIDs associated with "spill-over" from domestic animals to wildlife populations living in proximity; (ii) EIDs related directly to human intervention, via host or parasite translocations; and (iii) EIDs with no overt human or domestic animal involvement. These phenomena have two major biological implications: first, many wildlife species are reservoirs of pathogens that threaten domestic animal and human health; second, wildlife EIDs pose a substantial threat to the conservation of global biodiversity.

1 Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
2 Infectious Disease and Pathology Activity, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
3 Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
4 Australian Animal Health Laboratory, CSIRO, Private Bag 24, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: daszak{at}uga.edu

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