Abstract

The maintenance of infectious diseases requires a sufficient number of susceptible hosts. Host culling is a potential control strategy for animal diseases. However, the reduction in biodiversity and increasing public concerns regarding the involved ethical issues have progressively challenged the use of wildlife culling. Here, we assess the potential of wildlife culling as an epidemiologically sound management tool, by examining the host ecology, pathogen characteristics, eco-sociological contexts, and field work constraints. We also discuss alternative solutions and make recommendations for the appropriate implementation of culling for disease control.

Eve Miguel et al. discuss the potential and practice of wildlife culling to control infectious disease both in the wildlife population and in transmission to humans. They identify several factors that must be considered when using culling, including host and pathogen ecology and eco-sociological contexts.

Details

Title
A systemic approach to assess the potential and risks of wildlife culling for infectious disease control
Author
Eve, Miguel 1 ; Grosbois Vladimir 2 ; Caron Alexandre 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pople Diane 3 ; Roche, Benjamin 4 ; Donnelly, Christl A 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

1  Imperial College London, Medical Research Council Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London, UK (GRID:grid.7445.2) (ISNI:0000 0001 2113 8111); CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), Univ. Montpellier, MIVEGEC (Infectious Diseases and Vectors: Ecology, Genetics, Evolution and Control), IRD (Research Institute for Sustainable Development), Montpellier, France (GRID:grid.121334.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 2097 0141); CREES Centre for Research on the Ecology and Evolution of Disease, Montpellier, France (GRID:grid.121334.6) 
2  Univ. Montpellier, INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research), ASTRE (Animal, Health, Territories, Risks, Ecosystems), CIRAD (Agricultural Research for Development), Montpellier, France (GRID:grid.121334.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 2097 0141) 
3  Imperial College London, Medical Research Council Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London, UK (GRID:grid.7445.2) (ISNI:0000 0001 2113 8111) 
4  CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), Univ. Montpellier, MIVEGEC (Infectious Diseases and Vectors: Ecology, Genetics, Evolution and Control), IRD (Research Institute for Sustainable Development), Montpellier, France (GRID:grid.121334.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 2097 0141); IRD/Sorbonne Université, UMMISCO (Unité Mixte Internationnale de Modélisation Mathématique et Informatiques des Systèmes Complèxes, Bondy, France (GRID:grid.462844.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 2308 1657); Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, México, México (GRID:grid.9486.3) (ISNI:0000 0001 2159 0001) 
5  Imperial College London, Medical Research Council Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London, UK (GRID:grid.7445.2) (ISNI:0000 0001 2113 8111); University of Oxford, Department of Statistics, Oxford, UK (GRID:grid.4991.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8948) 
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
23993642
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-1032-z
ProQuest document ID
2420901336
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.