Quote by Kimberly A. Plomp

“The dramatic changes that occurred in the relationships between humans and animals as societies transitioned from hunting and foraging to herding and farming, and from living in rural to urban and industrialized environments, had major impacts on pathogen evolution. The development, spread and intensification of agriculture, coupled with urbanization and increased connectivity through trade, enhanced opportunities for pathogens to be shared. Populations of potential hosts, human and animal, were increasingly crowded together often in unsanitary environments. These conditions drove pathogen transmission and virulence because they facilitated transmission from heavily infected and very sick individuals.”

Quote by Kimberly A. Plomp