A review of drivers of emerging infectious diseases within the wildlife-human-domestic animal interface in the West Pacific Tropics

The West Pacific Tropics (WPT) is a hotspot for disease emergence. Rich biodiversity, high species population density, susceptibility to climate change, rapid land use changes and high transboundary traffic, provide an ideal situation for disease spread, but their interaction in driving disease emergence is poorly understood. Studies related to drivers of emerging infectious diseases (EID) published between 2004 and 2024 were gathered through a document search using Web of Science, SCOPUS and MedLine. A PRISMA diagram was used to document the selection process, and track materials retrieved. A total of 23,235 articles were collated using EndNote™ (ver. 21.5) during the initial search. After removal of duplicates and grey literature, titles and abstracts of 16,442 articles were screened based on the exclusion and inclusion criteria, and 75 articles were sought for retrieval. Out of the 43 eligible reports for full paper review, 29 were excluded based on the exclusion criteria and 14 studies were included in the review. The small number of eligible studies was partially because documents chosen were limited to studies or topics within the WPT. Some territories were underrepresented which introduced some bias into the study. Included studies were analysed using a direct acyclic graph (DAG), which identified ten vectors that showed causal paths leading to EID. Socioeconomics and governance were key drivers of EID within wildlife-human-domestic animal transboundary interface in the WPT. By framing these interactions within a regional One Health systems perspective, the study shows that governance and socioeconomic factors act as cross-cutting determinants that influence multiple pathways of pathogen spillover and spread. Activities that promote increased proximity of wildlife to domestic animals and people serve to mediate disease transmission and spread. Harmonising wildlife trade regulation and strengthened territorial biosecurity measures through the adoption of regional best practices are recommended as key disease prevention strategies.