Are humans and animals in too close contact for disease dispersal? This question that is asked in the May 2000 article, Germs and sickness in a shrinking world, of "U.S. News online" is one that needs to be looked at very directly. "As globalization shuffles more people, animals, and pathogen-contaminated products around the world, biologists say infections are increasing" (Tangley 1). This shuffling of cultures occurred early with the Spanish conquistadors traveling to the New World. The lands of America and its native inhabitants would soon be introduced to a variety of new diseases thus creating a virgin soil phenomenon. Measles and smallpox were introduced by the Spaniards leaving the Native Americans too weak to protect their land. The Spanish were descending the disease gradient making them insusceptible to the few diseases that were in the Americas. McNeill's law reveals that as a more diseased experienced population comes into contact with a less disease experie!

The article describes how the destruction of our world's wetlands and rainforests plays a major role in spawning epidemics. "Shrinking habitat is also deteriorating, which promotes growth of bacteria and other pathogens," states Robert McLean, director of the U.S. Geological Survey of National Wildlife Health Center (Tangley 2). As the essential wetlands are being destroyed, the diverse wildlife that live there are forced to evacuate. These assorted creatures migrate towards other areas that provide warmth and moisture. The temperate and tropical climates of civilized communities are home for a wide variety of the disbursed parasites. Human contact is inevitable.

sult is the more diseased experienced country will take over. Animals brought over with the Spaniards only complicated matters for the less disease experienced Native society. Parasitic commensalisms (the situation in which the parasite benefits while the host does not, but the host is not harmed) occurring with the livestock or other animals can be directly transferred to human diseas

Some common words found in the essay are:
Persia Baktiare, West Nile, Americas McNeill's, Close Comfort, Center Tangley, Native Americans, York City, Robert McLean, West African, Morris Jim, animals brought, humans animals, native americans, spanish conquistadors, diseased experienced, west nile, contact disease,
Approximate Word count = 715
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)