What is disease ecology?
The interaction of the behavior and ecology of hosts with the biology of pathogens, as it relates to the impact of diseases on populations. (Sci-Tech Encyclopedia Online) “Disease ecology merges key ideas from ecology, medicine, genetics, immunology and epidemiology. We can study how hosts and pathogens interact in populations, communities and even entire ecosystems.” (Les Real, Emory University) “Disease ecology is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that necessarily involves the disciplines of microbiology, ecology, genetics, geography, medicine, mathematics and epidemiology to better understand how climate and environment affects the interaction between hosts and pathogens.” (Margie Lee, University of Georgia) “The emerging field of infectious disease ecology explores the relationships between parasitic, bacterial and viral infectious diseases, their animal and human hosts, and their environment. Common themes of research in the discipline include the factors responsible for t
