Macphee Ross D E, Greenwood Alex D
Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA.
Int J Evol Biol. 2013;2013:571939. doi: 10.1155/2013/571939. Epub 2013 Jan 16.
Infectious disease, especially virulent infectious disease, is commonly regarded as a cause of fluctuation or decline in biological populations. However, it is not generally considered as a primary factor in causing the actual endangerment or extinction of species. We review here the known historical examples in which disease has, or has been assumed to have had, a major deleterious impact on animal species, including extinction, and highlight some recent cases in which disease is the chief suspect in causing the outright endangerment of particular species. We conclude that the role of disease in historical extinctions at the population or species level may have been underestimated. Recent methodological breakthroughs may lead to a better understanding of the past and present roles of infectious disease in influencing population fitness and other parameters.
传染病，尤其是烈性传染病，通常被视为生物种群数量波动或减少的一个原因。然而，它一般不被认为是导致物种实际濒危或灭绝的主要因素。我们在此回顾已知的历史案例，其中疾病已经或被认为对动物物种产生了重大有害影响，包括导致灭绝，并着重介绍一些近期的案例，其中疾病是导致特定物种直接濒危的主要嫌疑因素。我们得出结论，疾病在种群或物种层面的历史灭绝中所起的作用可能被低估了。最近的方法学突破可能会使人们更好地理解传染病在影响种群适应性和其他参数方面的过去和现在的作用。
