Title |
Q&A: What are pathogens, and what have they done to and for us?
|
---|---|
Published in |
BMC Biology, October 2017
|
DOI | 10.1186/s12915-017-0433-z |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Francois Balloux, Lucy van Dorp |
Abstract |
Microbes are found on us, within us and around us. They inhabit virtually every environment on the planet and the bacteria carried by an average human, mostly in their gut, outnumber human cells. The vast majority of microbes are harmless to us, and many play essential roles in plant, animal and human health. Others, however, are either obligate or facultative pathogens exerting a spectrum of deleterious effects on their hosts. Infectious diseases have historically represented the most common cause of death in humans until recently, exceeding by far the toll taken by wars or famines. From the dawn of humanity and throughout history, infectious diseases have shaped human evolution, demography, migrations and history. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 25 | 17% |
United States | 17 | 12% |
Colombia | 6 | 4% |
Spain | 4 | 3% |
Australia | 4 | 3% |
France | 3 | 2% |
Canada | 2 | 1% |
Portugal | 2 | 1% |
Mexico | 2 | 1% |
Other | 14 | 10% |
Unknown | 66 | 46% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 105 | 72% |
Scientists | 28 | 19% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 7 | 5% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 5 | 3% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 512 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 95 | 19% |
Student > Master | 55 | 11% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 29 | 6% |
Researcher | 26 | 5% |
Student > Postgraduate | 13 | 3% |
Other | 54 | 11% |
Unknown | 240 | 47% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 79 | 15% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 51 | 10% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 20 | 4% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 18 | 4% |
Engineering | 11 | 2% |
Other | 86 | 17% |
Unknown | 247 | 48% |