Planetary Health, One Health and Zoonoses

Edinburgh’s One Health research tracks reservoirs and spillover, deciphers environmental and ecological drivers, and co‑creates sustainable solutions that protect human, animal and ecosystem health.

This theme adopts a One Health lens to understand how human, animal and environmental systems co‑produce infectious disease risks. Research investigates animal reservoirs and cross‑species transmission, environmental drivers of pathogen spread, and how ecological and climatic change reshape risks across landscapes and livelihoods. 

Disease at the Human-Animal Interface

Significant work across the Edinburgh Infectious Diseases network addresses zoonotic diseases — infections that pass between animals and humans. Researchers investigate the epidemiology of pathogens such as trypanosomes, prions, and protozoan parasites, to inform improved diagnostics, and design integrated control strategies. Others explore evolutionary origins of zoonotic pathgoens and those with epidemic or pandemic potential, tracing how human-animal relationships continue to shape disease emergence.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major focus, approached from multiple angles. Scientists are studying how resistance genes spread across livestock, humans and the environment; economists are assessing the costs of interventions; resaerhcers in social science are examining regulatory frameworks; and behavioural researchers are working with communities to drive sustainable change in antibiotic use.

Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists within the group investigate how environmental pressures — including climate change — shape host immunity, parasite dynamics and population health across wild and domestic species. This work underpins understanding of how disease risk may shift as ecosystems change.

Pathogen and host communities are analysed as interacting ecosystems, linking biodiversity, land use, food systems and infection dynamics. Social, cultural and economic contexts of human–animal–environment interactions are central, informing equitable, sustainable solutions and production practices.

Global Health Systems and Governance

Complementing the biological sciences, researchers in global health, medical anthropology and science policy examine how health systems are organised, financed and governed. This includes work on health equity, evidence translation, and the ethical dimensions of emerging biomedical technologies.  Engagement with communities, industry and policy, translate insights into actionable strategies for zoonoses and broader planetary health challenges.

This article was published on