What is a reservoir in disease ecology?

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What is a reservoir in disease ecology?

A reservoir is the organism or environment that naturally maintains a pathogen over time, providing a source for infection to others. The important idea is persistence: the pathogen stays around between outbreaks, either in a carrier host that may not show disease or in the environment, so transmission can continue. This differentiates a reservoir from a vector, which simply moves the pathogen between hosts, and from a host that is merely infected. A reservoir doesn’t have to be visibly sick; it just harbors the pathogen long-term. For example, certain bats can carry rabies without always becoming ill, and some bacteria persist in water or soil, acting as environmental reservoirs.

A reservoir is the organism or environment that naturally maintains a pathogen over time, providing a source for infection to others. The important idea is persistence: the pathogen stays around between outbreaks, either in a carrier host that may not show disease or in the environment, so transmission can continue. This differentiates a reservoir from a vector, which simply moves the pathogen between hosts, and from a host that is merely infected. A reservoir doesn’t have to be visibly sick; it just harbors the pathogen long-term. For example, certain bats can carry rabies without always becoming ill, and some bacteria persist in water or soil, acting as environmental reservoirs.

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