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Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases
What is an emerging or re-emerging infectious disease?
"Infection that has newly appeared in [a] population or has existed but is rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic range"
The basic definition of an emerging or re-emerging infectious disease is a disease whose incidence has increased in a defined time period and location. If the disease was unknown in the location before, the disease is considered to be emerging. However, if the disease had been present at the location in the past and was considered eradicated or controlled, the disease is considered to be re-emerging. Diseases considered to be emerging or re-emerging include avian influenza, West Nile virus, bovine tuberculosis in wildlife, and Lyme Disease.
Recognition of an emerging disease can occur because the disease is present in the population for the first time, because the disease has been detected for the first time, or because links between an infectious agent and a chronic disease or a syndrome have only recently been identified. Many of these emerging diseases are zoonotic, and rely on animal populations as reservoirs of infection.
Most emerging infections are caused by pathogens already present in the environment, brought out of obscurity or given a selective advantage by changing conditions and afforded an opportunity to infect new host populations. These changes include ecological changes, such as those due to human activities or to anomalies in climate; demographic changes and behavior; travel and commerce; technology and industry; microbial adaptation and change; and breakdown of public health measures. Many factors precipitate emergence by placing humans or animals in contact with a natural reservoir or host for an infection unfamiliar but already present (often a zoonotic or arthropod-borne infection), either by increasing proximity or, often, also by changing conditions so as to favor an increased population of the microbe or its natural host (Morse, 1996).
Research on Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases at the CCE
- Antimicrobial Resistance in Companion Animals and their Caregivers (CCE): Dr. John B. Kaneene, PI
- Bovine Tuberculosis: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Pathogenesis (USDA-NRI): Dr. John B. Kaneene, PI
- Michigan System to Report Integrated Disease Events [STRIDE] (CDC-MDCH): Dr. John B. Kaneene, PI; Dr. Whitney A. Mauer
- Syndromic Surveillance System Development (MDCH): Dr. Paul C. Bartlett, PI
- Syndromic Surveillance System for Canada (Health Canada): Dr. Paul C. Bartlett, PI
- Agricultural ceftiofur use and the dissemination of third generation cephalosporin resistance genetics of public health concern (USDA-IREE): Dr. Julie Funk
- Profiling the Emergence of Salmonella enteritidis (NIH): Dr. A. Mahdi Saeed, Co-PI
- A framework for evaluation of Great Lakes disease introduction risks associated with the sterile male lamprey release program (Great Lakes Fishery Commission): Dr. Jean Tsao, PI
- Canine serology and exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi in southern Michigan (MSU Companion Animal Fund): Dr. Jean Tsao, PI
- A spatial risk model for Ixodes scapularis-borne Borrelia burgdorferi (CDC): Dr. Jean Tsao, PI