TY - JOUR AU - Lugassy, Léa AU - Amdouni-Boursier, Ludivine AU - Alout, Haoues AU - Berrebi, Romuald AU - Boëte, Christophe AU - Boué, Franck AU - Boulanger, Nathalie AU - Cosson, Jean-François AU - Durand, Thierry AU - de Garine-Wichatitsky, Michel AU - Larrat, Sylvain AU - Moinet, Marie AU - Moulia, Catherine AU - Pagès, Nonito AU - Plantard, Olivier AU - Robert, Vincent AU - Livoreil, Barbara PY - 2019 DA - 2019/01/21 TI - What is the evidence that ecosystem components or functions have an impact on infectious diseases? A systematic review protocol JO - Environmental Evidence SP - 4 VL - 8 IS - 1 AB - Many infectious pathogens can be transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa, or by animals (especially arthropods) to humans. Such diseases are called zoonotic and/or vector-borne diseases. To control or prevent them, it is often recommended to target population reduction of host or vector species, through preventive culling or insecticide use for example. But these types of destructive interventions have shown several limits altering their efficiency, including acquired resistance of arthropods to insecticides, unpredicted change in the ecology of host populations, unexpected negative functional consequences on ecosystems, as well as economic embrittlement when livestock is concerned. An alternative pathway of action would be to rely on the functioning of ecosystems, and on their careful management, to regulate diseases and thus reduce their impact on human health. In this perspective, a thorough evaluation of the conditions that can potentially promote such a positive regulation of infectious pathogens by ecosystems, and their efficiency, is needed. Here, we present the protocol of a systematic review that will evaluate the scientific evidence existing on potential links between ecosystem components or functions and 14 vector-borne and zoonotic diseases impacting human health. SN - 2047-2382 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-019-0147-5 DO - 10.1186/s13750-019-0147-5 ID - Lugassy2019 ER -