The Effect of Climate Changes on Human Bacterial Infectious Diseases

A growing body of research suggests that rising average global temperatures may be one of several causes of disease emergence and reemergence among human and animal populations. Climate change most significantly affects diseases caused by pathogens that spend part of their lifecycle outside the host and are exposed to the environment, such as waterborne diseases, foodborne pathogens, and vector-borne zoonoses. Additionally, the displacement of people and damage to health infrastructures from the projected increase in climate variability could indirectly contribute to transmitting infectious diseases. However, while the globe is significantly warmer than a century ago, not all studies have found a clear link between climate change and disease outbreaks. Analyzing the role of climate in the emergence of infectious diseases will require interdisciplinary collaboration among climatologists, physicians, social researchers, and biologists. Understanding the relationship between climatological and ecological change as disease emergence and redistribution determinants will ultimately help optimize preventive measures. Here, we review the scientific evidence of how global warming and patterns affect different human bacterial infectious diseases.