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Was the COVID-19 pandemic avoidable? A call for a “solution-oriented” approach in pathogen evolutionary ecology to prevent future outbreaks
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  • ROCHE Benjamin,
  • Andres Garchitorena,
  • Jean-Francois Guegan,
  • Audrey Arnal,
  • Serge Morand,
  • David Roiz,
  • Carlos Zambrana-Torrelio,
  • Gerardo Suzan,
  • Peter Daszak
ROCHE Benjamin
Institut de recherche pour le développement

Corresponding Author:roche.ben@gmail.com

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Andres Garchitorena
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Jean-Francois Guegan
Audrey Arnal
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Serge Morand
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David Roiz
Carlos Zambrana-Torrelio
Gerardo Suzan
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Peter Daszak

Abstract

Concerns about the prospect of a global pandemic have been triggered many times during the last two decades. These have been realized through the current COVID-19 pandemic, due to a new coronavirus SARS-CoV2, which has impacted almost every country on Earth. Here, we show how considering the pandemic through the lenses of the evolutionary ecology of pathogens can help better understand the root causes and devise solutions to prevent the emergence of future pandemics. We call for better integration of these approaches into transdisciplinary research and invite scientists working on the evolutionary ecology of pathogens to contribute to a more “solution-oriented” agenda with practical applications, emulating similar movements in the field of economics in recent decades.