Zoonosis risks and invasive alien species issues

Abstract

Increased numbers of zoonotic outbreaks pose significant risks to public health, socioeconomic stability, and biodiversity. Invasions by non-native species are a primary factor promoting such outbreaks. Non-native species increase zoonotic disease risk through two major processes. First, novel infectious diseases may arise through the introduction of novel pathogens and vectors associated with non-native species. Second, invasion by non-native species may promote the increase and spread of existing pathogens and vectors at local scales. However, invasive species management has rarely been addressed when seeking to control zoonoses. To address this knowledge gap, we reviewed and summarized the literature on three zoonotic risks posed by non-native species in Japan: exacerbation of toxoplasmosis from human feeding of free-ranging cats, roles played by invasive non-native mammals in the transmission of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) across natural and anthropogenic habitats, and tick bite risk posed to humans by the introduction of non-native sika deer. We propose that invasive species management should be a component of zoonotic disease control.