The frog and the parasite. This is not the title of a fable, but the topic of a very serious scientific study, which was published on September 20 in the journal. Environmental Research Letters. The authors, affiliated with the University of California (UC Davis), show a link between the extinction of dozens of amphibian species in Central America and the resurgence of malaria, which is transmitted by mosquitoes within the human population. The correlation of these two phenomena shows the close interdependence between the balance of natural ecosystems and the spread of infectious diseases.
Demonstrating this type of correlation is not easy. “Exploring the impact of declining amphibian populations on actual malaria incidence is a challenge.”the authors of the study emphasized, because the sequence of these events mainly takes place over decades and over vast spaces.
Between 1980 and 2000, dozens of frog species…
Source: Le Figaro
