Volta
Disentangling wildlife–cattle interactions in multi‐host tuberculosis scenarios: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Abstract Ecological interactions involving wildlife (wild mammals) and cattle Bos taurus are considered fundamental drivers of animal tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium bovis at the wildlife–livestock interface. Despite recent insights about the role of direct and indirect interactions on TB dynamics, a mechanistic evaluation of studies addressing patterns of wildlife–cattle interaction at the global level is lacking, and the most likely factors explaining interaction rates under different epidemiological scenarios remain poorly understood. We began by reviewing the main criteria used to define a wildlife–cattle interaction relevant to Mycobacterium bovis transmission under different methodological approaches (camera‐trapping, proximity loggers and Global Positioning System collars). Secondly, we applied a generic framework to estimate and characterise interaction patterns between susceptible wildlife and cattle hosts …