zoonotic spillover

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the transmission of a pathogen from an animal reservoir host to a human being, representing the cross-species jump that initiates zoonotic disease outbreaks and, in some cases, the emergence of novel pandemic pathogens; zoonotic spillover events are not random but are driven by ecological factors including habitat destruction that brings humans into contact with wildlife, the farming of wild or domesticated animals, the bushmeat trade, climate-driven shifts in animal range, and the density of susceptible human populations in contact zones; the majority of emerging infectious diseases, including HIV, Ebola, SARS, MERS, and the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, originated in zoonotic spillover events