Assembling evidence for identifying reservoirs of infection

Abstract

Many pathogens persist in multihost systems, making the identification of infection reservoirs crucial for devising effective interventions. Here, we present a conceptual framework for classifying patterns of incidence and prevalence, and review recent scientific advances that allow us to study and manage reservoirs simultaneously. We argue that interventions can have a crucial role in enriching our mechanistic understanding of how reservoirs function and should be embedded as quasi-experimental studies in adaptive management frameworks. Single approaches to the study of reservoirs are unlikely to generate conclusive insights whereas the formal integration of data and methodologies, involving interventions, pathogen genetics, and contemporary surveillance techniques, promises to open up new opportunities to advance understanding of complex multihost systems.

Cited by papers we hold 4

• Viral zoonotic risk is homogenous among taxonomic orders of mammalian and avian reservoir hosts · 2020
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• Do Cryptic Reservoirs Threaten Gambiense-Sleeping Sickness Elimination? · 2018
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• Urbanization and Disease Emergence: Dynamics at the Wildlife–Livestock–Human Interface · 2017
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• Generalists at the interface: Nematode transmission between wild and domestic ungulates · 2014
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