From flames to inflammation: how wildfires affect patterns of wildlife disease

Abstract Background Fire strongly affects animals’ behavior, population dynamics, and environmental surroundings, which in turn are likely to affect their immune systems exposure pathogens. However, little work has yet been conducted on the effects of wildfires wildlife disease. This research gap is rapidly growing importance because becoming globally more common severe, with unknown impacts disease unclear implications for livestock human health future. Results Here, we discussed how could influence susceptibility infection wild animals, potential consequences ecology public health. In our framework, outlined habitat loss degradation caused by fire defenses, behavioral demographic responses pathogen exposure, spread, maintenance. We identified relative unknowns that might dynamics unpredictable ways (e.g., through altered community composition free-living parasites). Finally, avenues future investigations fire-disease links. Conclusions hope this review will stimulate much-needed role wildfire influencing disease, providing an important source information wake other natural disasters, encouraging further integration fields ecology.