Deforestation in Costa Rica raises the risk of cattle becoming infected with rabies by vampire bats, finds a new study.
Deforestation in Costa Rica raises the risk of cattle becoming infected with rabies by vampire bats, finds a new study. Emerging Infectious Diseases published the research by disease ecologists at Emory University.
“A healthy tropical forest has phenomenal diversity — not just among plants and mammals like monkeys and bats, but also among microorganisms,” says Thomas Gillespie, Emory professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Sciences and senior author of the study. “When you destroy parts of a forest, the diversity goes down and the dynamics of disease transmission may change in a way that leads to the emergence of new pathogens or the reemergence of existing ones.”
The Costa Rica economy relies heavily on ecotourism. Approximately 25% of its territory is protected under its National System of Conservation Areas, the largest percentage of protected areas accounted for by any country in the world, according to the Global Alliance of National Parks.
Read more at Emory University
Image: A cow in a forest of the Alajuela province of Costa Rica meanders near the entrance to a cave where researchers are gathering data on vampire bats and the ecology of the rabies virus. (Credit: Photo by Amanda Vicente)
