Wildlife and brucellosis: Integrating conservation efforts with zoonotic disease management in Haixi Prefecture

Abstract

Brucellosis, a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella bacteria, poses significant public health risks and economic burdens, especially in ecosystems where livestock and wildlife interact. This study employs a spatial epidemiological approach to investigate the relationship between brucellosis occurrence in humans and livestock and wild ungulate habitats in Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China. We identified brucellosis hotspots and analyzed their overlap with the distributions of 6 wild ungulate species using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) models, which revealed a strong spatial association between high-risk brucellosis areas and habitats of wild ungulates (area under the curve = 0.853–0.935 across low versus high altitude regions). High-risk areas for brucellosis were primarily concentrated in the eastern part of Tianjun County, the northern and central regions of Delingha City, and the western part of Wulan County, coinciding with high relative suitability for wild ungulates. We also identified distinct environmental factors such as precipitation in January (31.9%), diurnal temperature range (28.8%), and elevation (27.7%) as key predictors of the spatial distribution of brucellosis spillover events in low-altitude areas, whereas precipitation in October (49.4%) and land use type (33.0%) dominated in high-altitude zones. However, our analysis does not include direct surveillance or pathogen shedding data from wild ungulates. Consequently, our inference is limited to spatial co-occurrence and interface-related risk rather than demonstrated reservoir status or distribution of brucellosis events. These findings highlight the need for a more integrated approach to disease management and provide a practical framework for applying the One Health approach to policymaking, helping to balance wildlife conservation, livestock management, and public health in high-altitude ecosystems.