Age spread key to impact of disease outbreak, study finds
How disease outbreaks affect animals depends on the age at which individuals are exposed to infection.
How disease outbreaks affect animals depends on the age at which individuals are exposed to infection, new research has found.
Published in the journal Ecology Letters, the finding could help scientists better understand how disease outbreaks may affect certain groups in a population.
The research was carried out by the University of Edinburgh, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and the Wellcome Trust.
“Many societies around the world are experiencing ageing populations, and investigating the impact of this might lend valuable insight into how such populations might respond to an outbreak of disease,” said Jess Clark of the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences.
In the study, scientists sought to examine how a spread of ages can influence a population’s health by simulating an outbreak of disease in small marine animals.
Through computer modelling and lab experiments, they found that disease spread can vary depending on the age at which individuals are exposed to infections.
The scientists found that offspring of younger mothers were more at risk from infection. This builds upon previous knowledge that younger individuals are more at risk.
Computer models revealed that when death rates are high, disease can spread faster - even as populations fall.
Scientists say that this contradicts the expectation that disease should spread most easily in dense populations, in which individuals interact more.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
