Global declines in biodiversity are altering disease dynamics in complex and multifaceted ways. Changes in biodiversity can have several outcomes on disease risk, including dilution and amplification effects, both of which can have a profound influence on the effects of disease in a community. The dilution effect occurs when biodiversity and disease risk are inversely related, whereas the amplification effect is a positive relationship between biodiversity and disease risk. We tested these effects with an emerging fungal pathogen of amphibians, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which is responsible for catastrophic amphibian population declines and extinctions worldwide. Despite the rapid and continued spread of Bd, the influence of host diversity on Bd dynamics remains unknown. We experimentally manipulated host diversity and density in the presence of Bd and found a dilution effect where increased species richness reduced disease risk, even when accounting for changes in density. These results demonstrate the general importance of incorporating community structure into studies of disease dynamics and have implications for the effects of Bd in ecosystems that differ in biodiversity.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3182747 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1108490108 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Research in compulsory drug detention centres in China: Characteristics and ethical considerations.
Glob Public Health
December 2025
Department of Community Health and Prevention, Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
More than 500 centres in China hold over 300,000 individuals in what has been described by the United Nations as unethical and ineffective compulsory treatment and rehabilitation centres. Individuals in these centres face widespread human rights abuses, including lack of due process, forced labour, physical and sexual violence, and denial of healthcare. Because of the vulnerability of individuals in detention settings to abuse in research trials, ethical guidelines have required research to pose no more than minimal risk, to address the process of incarceration, and the health or well-being of detained individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenetic Ablation of Sarm1 Mitigates Disease Acceleration after Traumatic Brain Injury in the SOD1 Transgenic Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Ann Neurol
January 2025
Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA.
Objective: Approximately 20% of familial cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are caused by mutations in the gene encoding superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). Epidemiological data have identified traumatic brain injury (TBI) as an exogenous risk factor for ALS; however, the mechanisms by which TBI may worsen SOD1 ALS remain largely undefined.
Methods: We sought to determine whether repetitive TBI (rTBI) accelerates disease onset and progression in the transgenic SOD1 mouse ALS model, and whether loss of the primary regulator of axonal degeneration sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (Sarm1) mitigates the histological and behavioral pathophysiology.
Platelet Volume Parameters as Predictors of Valvular Thrombosis Risk in Patients with Aortic and Mitral Valve Replacement.
Clin Appl Thromb Hemost
January 2025
Cardiovascular Research Institute, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Percutaneous valve implantation or surgical replacement with mechanical or biological valves are standard therapies for severe valvular heart diseases. Prosthetic valve thrombosis, though rare, is a serious complication, particularly with mechanical prostheses. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of platelet volume parameters, including mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR), for valvular thrombosis risk in patients undergoing valve replacement therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLow-dose methotrexate in Rheumatology: A reinvented drug.
J R Coll Physicians Edinb
January 2025
Department of Rheumatology, Centre for Rheumatology, Calicut, Kerala, India.
Low-dose methotrexate (LD-MTX) is the anchor drug used in the treatment of various rheumatological illnesses. There are a lot of misconceptions associated with the long-term use of MTX in the minds of practitioners. The origin of most of these myths stems from the ill effects associated with high-dose MTX used in cancer chemotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSafety and efficacy of endoscopic resection for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors: a retrospective cohort study.
Minim Invasive Ther Allied Technol
January 2025
Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongda Hospital Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Background: The aim of this study was to verify the safety and efficacy of endoscopic resection (ER) for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).
Methods: Among a consecutive series of resections for gastric GISTs performed in a single center, the outcomes of patients who had ER were compared to standard surgical resection (SR).
Results: In the cohort, 329 consecutive primary localized gastric GISTs patients (, ER/SR = 251/78) were enrolled.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!