Humans, animals and disease
By 2050, the human population will reach 9 billion. Our environmental footprint is also growing. Increased resource use and animal production, along with warmer conditions, unhealthy water supplies, urban growth, booming transportation networks, and a collision of ecosystems are creating new opportunities for a disease ‘perfect storm’—human health, animal health, and emerging disease convergence. Only by viewing our footprint from microbiological levels on up can we rethink our goal of optimal human, animal, and environmental health.