Climate change and parasites

Climate change is one of the pressing issues of the 21st century and it has a widespread effect on many aspects of life including animal health and production. The health of animals may be compromised in various ways and amongst them, the effect of climate change on parasites is emerging and often overlooked. Different classes of parasites like helminths, protozoa and arthropods have one or more stages of their life which depends on various environmental parameters. Any change in these parameters can lead to alterations in the intensity, frequency, and geographical distribution of the parasites, consequently resulting to their increased spread in new areas. The purpose of this mini-review is to summarize how different classes of parasites and parasitic disease are affected by a change in the climate, and how these changes have a direct or indirect consequence on the population. Emphasis is also given on the parasite-climate relationship in the Indian scenario. This paper thus highlights the importance of having an interdisciplinary approach to study the host-parasite-climate relationship moving forward.