Work

Unraveling classic and emerging links between pollution and infectious diseases

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Recent evidence suggests that pollution is a major driver of infectious diseases. However, many mechanisms underlying the relationship between different classes of pollutants (e.g., plastics, metals, genotoxins, antimicrobial drugs) and infectious diseases, particularly emerging zoonotic diseases, remain poorly understood. In this article, we provide a clear and structured synthesis of distinct processes that link pollution to various aspects of infectious diseases, highlighting how environmental pollutants impact both human and animal health. Reducing pollution may help prevent the emergence and spread of pathogens.

Source: Discover Public Health

DOI: 10.1186/s12982-025-01040-4

Authors: Joel Henrique Ellwanger, Marina Ziliotto, José Artur Bogo Chies

Institution: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Language: English

Topic: Zoonotic diseases and public health

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul