School of Population Health, Level 2 Public Health Building, University of Queensland, Herston Qld 4006, Australia.
Med Hypotheses. 2011 Sep;77(3):339-44. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2011.05.009. Epub 2011 Jun 8.
Well balanced ecosystems have an essential role in disease regulation, and consequently their correct functioning is increasingly recognised as imperative for maintaining human health. Disruptions to ecosystems have been found to increase the risk of several diseases, including Hantavirus, Lyme disease, Ross River virus, malaria and Ciguatera fish poisoning. Leptospirosis is a globally important emerging zoonosis, caused by spirochaete bacteria, borne by many mammalian hosts, and also transmitted environmentally. We propose that leptospirosis incidence in humans is also linked to ecosystem disruption, and that reduced biodiversity (the diversity of species within an ecological community) may be associated with increased leptospirosis incidence. To investigate this hypothesis, the relationship between biodiversity levels of island nations and their annual leptospirosis incidence rates (adjusted for GDP per capita) was examined by linear correlation and regression. Supportive, statistically significant negative associations were obtained between leptospirosis incidence and (a) total number of species (r2=0.69, p<0.001) and (b) number of mammal species (r2=0.80, p<0.001) in univariate analysis. In multivariable analysis only the number of mammal species remained significantly associated (r2=0.81, p=0.007). An association between biodiversity and reduced leptospirosis risk, if supported by further research, would emphasise the importance of managing the emergence of leptospirosis (and other infectious diseases) at a broader, ecosystem level.
生态系统平衡对疾病调节具有重要作用，因此，人们越来越认识到其正常运转对于维护人类健康至关重要。生态系统的破坏已被发现会增加多种疾病的风险，包括汉坦病毒、莱姆病、罗斯河病毒、疟疾和雪卡鱼中毒。钩端螺旋体病是一种具有全球重要意义的新兴人畜共患病，由螺旋体细菌引起，许多哺乳动物宿主携带该细菌，也通过环境传播。我们提出，人类钩端螺旋体病的发病也与生态系统破坏有关，生物多样性减少（生态群落内物种的多样性）可能与钩端螺旋体病发病率的增加有关。为了验证这一假设，通过线性相关和回归分析，研究了岛国的生物多样性水平与其每年钩端螺旋体病发病率（按人均 GDP 调整）之间的关系。在单变量分析中，钩端螺旋体病发病率与（a）物种总数（r2=0.69，p<0.001）和（b）哺乳动物物种数量（r2=0.80，p<0.001）之间存在支持性的、具有统计学意义的负相关关系。在多变量分析中，只有哺乳动物物种数量仍然与发病率显著相关（r2=0.81，p=0.007）。如果进一步的研究支持生物多样性与降低钩端螺旋体病风险之间存在关联，这将强调在更广泛的生态系统层面上管理钩端螺旋体病（和其他传染病）的出现的重要性。
