Ecology of Invertebrate Diseases

A rapidly growing interdisciplinary field, disease ecology merges key ideas from ecology, medicine, genetics, immunology, and epidemiology to study how hosts and pathogens interact in populations, communities, and entire ecosystems. Bringing together contributions from leading international experts on the ecology of diseases among invertebrate species, this book provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of the field. Beginning with an introductory overview of general principles and methodologies, the book continues with in-depth discussions of a range of critical issues concerning invertebrate disease epidemiology, molecular biology, vectors, and pathogens. Topics covered in detail include:

• Methods for studying the ecology of invertebrate diseases and pathogens
• Invertebrate pathogen ecology and the ecology of pathogen groups
• Applied ecology of invertebrate pathogens
• Leveraging the ecology of invertebrate pathogens in microbial control
• Prevention and management of infectious diseases of aquatic invertebrates                                             

Ecology of Invertebrate Diseases is a necessary and long overdue addition to the world literature on this vitally important subject. This volume belongs on the reference shelves of all those involved in the environmental sciences, genetics, microbiology, marine biology, immunology, epidemiology, fisheries and wildlife science, and related disciplines. 

ANN E. HAJEK, PHD, is a Professor in the Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, US.

DAVID I. SHAPIRO-ILAN, PHD, is a Research Entomologist at USDA-ARS, Byron, Georgia, US.