Prevention and Control of Diseases at the Interface of Livestock, Wildlife, and Humans

Dear Colleagues,

Evidence suggests that at least 335 new human pathogens have emerged in the past 60 years with an increasing trend of emergence and re-emergence. About two thirds of them have a zoonotic origin, which is not a surprise, as where else would new pathogens arise from? The majority of the directly contracted zoonotic infections arise from domestic animals and peridomestic wildlife, whilst such events are generally extremely rare from wildlife in natural settings, except where vectors are concerned. The most important mechanism for establishment of novel infections in humans is through what is known as pathogen jumping, where a microbial organism adapts to the human or non- maintenance host species resulting in disease which persists. Most of the drivers for these periodic events are attributed to changes in socio-economic, environmental and ecological factors. The rising trend is ascribed to human destabilising effects on the natural environment, coupling disease emergence with landscape engineering, growth in human and domestic animal populations, climate change, species extinction and habitat change and degradation. Domestication of animals (and the trend continues), increases the potential for emergence as the genetic selection tends to reduce immunocompetence whilst selecting for production characteristics. Diminishing profit margins per animal lead to increasingly intensive livestock production systems and larger herds, both being recognized stressors for the transmission and severity of infectious diseases. Hence, the management of modern livestock production systems is associated with an increasing need for pathogen eradication or control, costly biosecurity measures and monitoring of disease, food quality and environmental impacts. In addition, the accelerating global trade causes more refined phyto-sanitary regulations and stringent cross-border risk management of livestock diseases and animal products. Primary producers have to account for these conditions by adopting management changes at a rapidly increasing rate, not only to control production animal diseases but also to protect farm workers against occupational health risks and consumers against food borne diseases. Whether the predictions for livestock production growth will reach the giddy heights proposed with over 26 billion livestock feeding 9 billion people in 2050 is debatable but trends towards diet change and less reliance on animal products are gathering pace. Preparing for the uncertainties, creating more sustainable agricultural practices, which are not pathogen factories nor destructive to the environment is vital to humans, their well-being and their future health.

This Special Issue on "Prevention and Control of Diseases at the Interface of Livestock, Wildlife, and Humans" intends to address these changing trends and contribute new knowledge to pathogen control in livestock farming and its interaction with wildlife, environment and public health.

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• emerging pathogens
• disease control
• biosecurity
• food safety
• domestic livestock
• wildlife
• public health