Episode 46: The Leaky Host Barrier

We tend to think of animals as a possible source of pathogens for people, like bird flu or rabies. However, this is a two-way street, and sometimes diseases that affect animals can originate in humans. In this episode of Naturally Speaking, Professor Ruth Zadoks (@rnzadoks) tells Taya Forde (@tayaforde) about her recent publication in the scientific journal Emerging Infectious Diseases that looks into the factors that can allow disease-causing bacteria to make the jump between species. We also discuss the types of tools that can be used to investigate questions about disease transmission, and the implications of novel host adaptations for veterinary and public health.

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Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]

Photo: ‘Douglas Gets Hugged’ by Marji Beach [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0], via Flickr