This visualization provides a comprehensive picture of naturally occurring zoonotic interactions in Austria and offers valuable epidemiological insights. In the zoonotic web in Austria, each node (circle) represents an actor in the zoonotic web. Credit: Complexity Science Hub
Dive into the interactive visualization to explore the intricate interactions of zoonoses—diseases that jump between animals and humans—in one country.
Researchers have developed a “zoonotic web” model that details interactions between zoonotic agents, hosts, vectors, and environments to better understand disease transmission from animals to humans. The study uses historical data to identify key host communities and interfaces in Austria where zoonotic spillover is likely, emphasizing the One Health approach and the need for public awareness.
Exploring Zoonotic Interactions
Scientists from the Complexity Science Hub and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna have dissected the complex interactions involved in zoonoses, which affect worldwide over two billion people annually. They introduce the concept of a “zoonotic web,” a detailed network representation of the relationships between zoonotic agents, their hosts, vectors, food sources, and the environment.
“Zoonotic diseases, which can be transmitted between animals and humans, are a significant public health concern, and our study highlights the importance of a holistic approach to understanding and managing these risks,” says epidemiologist and CSH researcher Amélie Desvars-Larrive.
Transmission Methods
The transmission of zoonoses to humans can occur through direct contact with saliva, blood, urine, or even feces of infected animals. For instance, a bite (for rabies), a scratch (for cat scratch disease), or skin contact (for skin fungi). Indirect transmission can also occur through bites from arthropod vectors — as with West Nile
Get a deeper understanding of zoonoses, which affect over two billion people every year, by exploring the dashboard. Credit: Complexity Science Hub
Understanding the Complex Interfaces
“Zoonotic diseases are often discussed in terms of host-pathogen interactions. Understanding the complex animal-human-environment interface remains a significant challenge,” explains the epidemiologist.
“As co-author Anja Joachim pointed out, simply studying the presence of a parasite in cat faeces, like Toxoplasma, doesn’t tell the whole story. Are we looking at the cat-environment, environment-human, or cat-human interface?. The concept of ‘interface’ remained unclear. This motivated us to develop a novel approach to zoonoses and demonstrate it through a case study,” adds Desvars-Larrive.
“We wanted to develop a method that investigates the interfaces where the exchange of circulating zoonotic pathogens takes place. This goes beyond host-pathogen interactions to consider other sources of infection, such as a contaminated environment, for example a sandpit, or contaminated food, often neglected when modeling zoonotic disease dynamics.”
Historical Analysis of Zoonotic Data
The researchers first carried out a systematic literature search on all documented interactions between zoonotic sources and pathogens in Austria between 1975 and 2022. From this, they created the “zoonotic web.” The results of the analysis were finally prepared in a dashboard by CSH data visualization expert Liuhuaying Yang.
The team identified six distinct communities of zoonotic agent sharing in Austria, influenced by highly connected infectious agents, proximity to humans, and human activities. The community including humans, the oldest domesticated
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