# ecol epidem: deforestation vs. increase of infectious diseases, a new hypothesis

<< Habitat loss is associated with emerging infectious diseases.
Most hypotheses to explain this association focus on ecological drivers and community structure; however, none have been developed to consider coevolutionary selective pressures across a fragmented landscape.
The 'coevolution effect' proposes that, within habitat fragments, shifts in population structure among hosts, obligate parasites, and pathogens function in parallel and act as 'coevolutionary engines', accelerating pathogen diversification, and therefore increasing pathogen diversity across a degraded landscape. When combined with bridge vectors (e.g., mosquitoes and ticks) this increases the probability that pathogens with zoonotic potential may spill over into human communities. >>

Sarah Zohdy, Tonia S. Schwartz, Jamie R. Oaks. The Coevolution Effect as a Driver of Spillover. Trends in Parasitology. Vol 35, Issue 6, P399-408  doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.03.010. Jun 01, 2019.

https://www.cell.com/trends/parasitology/fulltext/S1471-4922(19)30061-3

Teri Greene. New hypothesis links habitat loss and the global emergence of infectious diseases. Auburn University. Jun 24, 2019.

https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2019-06-hypothesis-links-habitat-loss-global.html