Nature and Society Relations Commons^™

Anthropogenics: Human Influence On Global And Genetic Homogenization Of Parasite Populations, Dante S. Zarlenga, Eric P. Hoberg, Benjamin Rosenthal, Simonetti Mattiucci, Giuseppe Nascetti

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

The distribution, abundance, and diversity of life on Earth have been greatly shaped by human activities. This includes the geographic expansion of parasites; however, measuring the extent to which humans have influenced the dissemination and population structure of parasites has been challenging. In-depth comparisons among parasite populations extending to landscape-level processes affecting disease emergence have remained elusive. New research methods have enhanced our capacity to discern human impact, where the tools of population genetics and molecular epidemiology have begun to shed light on our historical and ongoing influence. Only since the 1990s have parasitologists coupled morphological diagnosis, long considered the …