WHICH PATHOGENS AND HOSTS ARE LIKELY TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH EMERGING DISEASE?

Emerging pathogens include a range of viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, endoparasites and ectoparasites. Micro­parasites (viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi) appear significantly more likely to be associated with wildlife EIDs than macroparasites, with viruses the most common class of emerging wildlife pathogens (Pedersen et al.

Abundant wildlife species, and those that best adapt to close proximity with humans, domestic animals and urbanisation, are more likely to be implicated as reser­voirs of emerging disease, independent of their taxo­nomic grouping, and presumably because of increased opportunities for spillover (McFarlane et al. 2012). Many common human infections (e.g. influenza, tuber­culosis), originated as a result of spillover when domes­tication of animals began, demonstrating similar disease dynamics. Both bats and rodents have emerged as key host taxa for emerging disease (Luis et al. 2013). Although significant work has been undertaken to examine the potential for Australian bats to act as reser­voirs for zoonotic disease (Black et al. 2015; Peel et al. 2020), little similar work has been undertaken in native and feral rodents (Jackson et al. 2010; Reiss et al. 2015). It is unknown if the factors influencing rodent disease emergence overseas are replicated in the Australian environment.

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