International Journal of Health Geographics | 2010
Authors:
DOI: 10.1186/1476-072X-9-54
Journal: International Journal of Health Geographics
Year: 2010
Publisher:
Document Type: Article
Open Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access
Cited by: 354
Background: Landscape attributes influence spatial variations in disease risk or incidence. We present a review of the key findings from eight case studies that we conducted in Europe and West Africa on the impact of land changes on emerging or re-emerging vector-borne diseases and/or zoonoses. The case studies concern West Nile virus transmission in Senegal, tick-borne encephalitis incidence in Latvia, sandfly abundance in the French Pyrenees, Rift Valley Fever in the Ferlo (Senegal), West Nile Fever and the risk of malaria re-emergence in the Camargue, and rodent-borne Puumala hantavirus and Lyme borreliosis in Belgium.Results: We identified general principles governing landscape epidemiology in these diverse disease systems and geographic regions. We formulated ten propositions that are related to landscape attributes, spatial patterns and habitat connectivity, pathways of pathogen transmission between vectors and hosts, scale issues, land use and ownership, and human behaviour associated with transmission cycles.Conclusions: A static view of the "pathogenecity" of landscapes overlays maps of the spatial distribution of vectors and their habitats, animal hosts carrying specific pathogens and their habitat, and susceptible human hosts and their land use. A more dynamic view emphasizing the spatial and temporal interactions between these agents at multiple scales is more appropriate. We also highlight the complementarity of the modelling approaches used in our case studies. Integrated analyses at the landscape scale allows a better understanding of interactions between changes in ecosystems and climate, land use and human behaviour, and the ecology of vectors and animal hosts of infectious agents. © 2010 Lambin et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Animals; Belgium; Climate; Cluster Analysis; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; Disease Vectors; Ecosystem; France; Humans; Latvia; Senegal; Zoonoses; Belgium; West Africa; Animalia; Ixodida; Puumala virus; Rodentia; West Nile virus; disease incidence; disease transmission; disease treatment; encephalitis; epidemiology; health risk; infectious disease; landscape; pathogen; spatial distribution; spatial variation; animal; article; Belgium; climate; cluster analysis; communicable disease; disease carrier; disease transmission; ecosystem; France; human; Latvia; microbiology; parasitology; Senegal; zoonosis