Infectious Disease Ecology and Conservation

Emerging infectious diseases pose an increasingly serious threat to a number of endangered or sensitive species and are increasingly recognized as one of the major factors driving species extinction. Despite the significant impact of pathogens on conservation, no single book has yet integrated the theoretical principles underlying disease transmission with the practical health considerations for helping wildlife professionals and conservation biologists to manage disease outbreaks and conserve biodiversity. This novel and accessible book starts with a foundational section focusing on the role of pathogens in natural ecosystems, the dynamics of transmission in different environments, and the factors driving wildlife disease outbreaks. It then moves on to more applied issues concerned with the acquisition of field data including sampling, experimental design and analysis, as well as diagnostic analyses in both the laboratory and field. Guidelines for effective modelling and data analysis follow, before a final section is devoted to disease prevention and control including the prevention of novel outbreaks, the use of diseases as biocontrol agents, and the associated issues of ethics, public communication, and outreach. Infectious Disease Ecology and Conservation is primarily aimed at advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and established researchers in the fields of conservation biology, disease ecology, population ecology, and veterinary science. It will also be a valuable reference for conservation practitioners, land managers, and wildlife professionals who are required to deal with disease outbreak problems.

Johannes Foufopoulos is Associate Professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, USA. He runs the Foufopoulos Lab, where his research is focused on fundamental conservation biology questions and on issues related to the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. His major research projects examine how habitat fragmentation, invasive organisms and global climate change result in species extinction. Other projects address questions regarding the impact of diseases on wildlife populations and the environmental causes leading to disease emergence. Gary A. Wobeser is Professor Emeritus at the Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Science, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. He was one of the original founders of the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre. His research interests involve environmental contaminants related to pathology and toxicology in wildlife. Hamish McCallum is a Professor and Director of the Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Australia and a Member of the Environmental Futures Research Institute, Australia. His core area of research interest is in disease ecology, with a particular interest in infectious diseases in free ranging wildlife populations. He also has broader interests in quantitative population dynamics and conservation biology.