Trematode-infected frog with limb deformitiesD. Herasimtschuk, Freshwaters IllustratedThe chance of a frog getting infected by a parasitic worm that causes limb deformities is less if it lives among a diverse array of pond mates that can also be infected, according to a study published today (February 13) in Nature. The report provides proof for the long-held theory that diversity drives down the spread of pathogens, and has implications beyond the pond, in human health and disease.
“This is the most complete study I’ve seen on biodiversity decreasing disease,” said Andrew Blaustein, a professor of zoology at Oregon State University, who was not involved in the study.
“The study is unusually comprehensive in combining field and lab and mesocosm—[controlled ecosystem]—studies,” agreed Rick Ostfeld, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, in Millbrook, New York, who also did not participate in the work. “It’s delightfully elegant in covering all the bases.”
According to a theory, known as the dilution effect, having a variety of host species to infect will actually reduce the chances that a parasite will spread. The idea is, hosts that are readily susceptible to infection will become diluted in the population by more resistant hosts as diversity ...
