Infectious diseases of animals and plants: An interdisciplinary approach

Katy Wilkinson*, Wyn P. Grant, Laura E. Green, Stephen Hunter, Michael J. Jeger, Philip Lowe, Graham F. Medley, Peter Mills, Jeremy Phillipson, Guy M. Poppy, Jeff Waage

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

68 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Animal and plant diseases pose a serious and continuing threat to food security, food safety, national economies, biodiversity and the rural environment. New challenges, including climate change, regulatory developments, changes in the geographical concentration and size of livestock holdings, and increasing trade make this an appropriate time to assess the state of knowledge about the impact that diseases have and the ways in which they are managed and controlled. In this paper, the case is explored for an interdisciplinary approach to studying the management of infectious animal and plant diseases. Reframing the key issues through incorporating both social and natural science research can provide a holistic understanding of disease and increase the policy relevance and impact of research. Finally, in setting out the papers in this Theme Issue, a picture of current and future animal and plant disease threats is presented.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1933-1942
Number of pages10
JournalPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume366
Issue number1573
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2011

Keywords

  • Animal disease
  • Interdisciplinarity
  • Plant disease
  • Social science

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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