TY - JOUR
T1 - Associations between patterns of human intestinal schistosomiasis and snail and mammal species richness in Uganda
T2 - can we detect a decoy effect?
AU - Stensgaard, Anna-Sofie
AU - Kristensen, Thomas K.
AU - Jørgensen, Aslak
AU - B. Kabatereine, Narcis
AU - Rahbek, Carsten
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - In recent years, ecological research has suggested several mechanisms by which biodiversity might affect the risk of acquiring infectious diseases (i.e., the decoy, dilution or amplification effects), but the topic remains controversial. While many experimental studies suggest a negative relationship between biodiversity and disease, this relationship is inherently complex, and might be negative, positive or neutral depending on the geographical scale and ecological context. Here, applying a macroecological approach, we look for associations between diversity and disease by comparing the distribution of human schistosomiasis and biogeographical patterns of freshwater snail and mammal species richness in Uganda. We found that the association between estimated snail richness and human infection was best described by a negative correlation in non-spatial bi- and multivariate logistic mixed effect models. However, this association lost significance after the inclusion of a spatial component in a full geostatistical model, highlighting the importance of accounting for spatial correlation to obtain more precise parameter estimates. Furthermore, we found no significant relationships between mammal richness and schistosomiasis risk. We discuss the limitations of the data and methods used to test the decoy hypothesis for schistosomiasis, and highlight key future research directions that can facilitate more powerful tests of the decoy effect in snail-borne infections, at geographical scales that are relevant for public health and conservation.
AB - In recent years, ecological research has suggested several mechanisms by which biodiversity might affect the risk of acquiring infectious diseases (i.e., the decoy, dilution or amplification effects), but the topic remains controversial. While many experimental studies suggest a negative relationship between biodiversity and disease, this relationship is inherently complex, and might be negative, positive or neutral depending on the geographical scale and ecological context. Here, applying a macroecological approach, we look for associations between diversity and disease by comparing the distribution of human schistosomiasis and biogeographical patterns of freshwater snail and mammal species richness in Uganda. We found that the association between estimated snail richness and human infection was best described by a negative correlation in non-spatial bi- and multivariate logistic mixed effect models. However, this association lost significance after the inclusion of a spatial component in a full geostatistical model, highlighting the importance of accounting for spatial correlation to obtain more precise parameter estimates. Furthermore, we found no significant relationships between mammal richness and schistosomiasis risk. We discuss the limitations of the data and methods used to test the decoy hypothesis for schistosomiasis, and highlight key future research directions that can facilitate more powerful tests of the decoy effect in snail-borne infections, at geographical scales that are relevant for public health and conservation.
KW - Biodiversity
KW - Decoy effect
KW - Dilution effect
KW - Disease ecology
KW - Health
KW - Macroecology
KW - Parasites
KW - Schistosomiasis, Snails
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85006109945&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.21425/F58321748
DO - 10.21425/F58321748
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85006109945
SN - 1948-6596
VL - 8
JO - Frontiers of Biogeography
JF - Frontiers of Biogeography
IS - 3
M1 - e21748
ER -
