WE have known for some time that certain species of wildlife are responsible for the transmission of diseases from animals to humans. The animals that harbour the pathogens which cause these diseases are known as “reservoir hosts”. The diseases which are transmissible between animals and humans are called zoonotic diseases. The phenomenon itself is known as a “spillover”.
The bubonic plague in Europe, Hendra virus in Australia, Ebola in Africa, Nipah virus in Malaysia, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in Hong Kong and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in Saudi Arabia are all examples of zoonotic diseases that have been successful in crossing the species barrier and establishing within the human body.
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