Food animals are transported widely and interact with wild species that they would never encountered naturally. With rapid growth in animal production and an increase in movement of animals and people, a human pathogen in an animal could potentially move thousands of miles in just 24 hours.
On top of increasing animal trade, we have a growing pet industry. Understanding how diseases work across all scenarios is essential for the future success of the human food chain and our survival as a species.
Source: Medical News Today, March 30, 2017.
Although research into reverse zoonosis is relatively scant, it is an important and urgent field of study. If human pathogens are able to infect other species, and these species are able to interact with humans and travel great distances, it is a pandemic waiting in the wings.
INSIGHTS: This article adds more reason to understand the concepts of One Health.