Anthropogenic land use changes have altered ecosystems and exacerbated the spread of infectious diseases. Recent reviews, however, have revealed that fire suppression in fire-prone natural areas has not been recognized as a form of anthropogenic land use change. Furthermore, fire suppression has been an under-recognized mechanism altering the risk and transmission of infectious disease pathogens and host-parasite dynamics. However, as settlement patterns changed, especially due to colonial expansion in North America, Africa, and Australia, fire suppression became a major form of land use change which has led to broad-scale ecosystem changes. Because parasites of humans and animals can vector viral, bacterial, prion, fungal, or protozoan pathogens, concomitant changes associated with anthropogenic-induced changes to fire frequencies and intensities are of concern. I provide reference to 24 studies that indicate that restoring fire in natural areas has the potential to reduce ectoparasites without wings such as ticks, chiggers, fleas, and lice; ectoparasites with wings such as mosquitos, horn flies, face flies, and stable flies; and endoparasites affecting livestock and wildlife. This suggests that fire ecology and parasitology be considered as a priority area for future research that has implications for both humans and animals.
Keywords: fire; global change; infectious disease; livestock; medical; parasites.