Natural reservoir

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In infectious disease ecology and epidemiology, a natural reservoir, also known as a disease reservoir or a reservoir of infection, is the population of organisms or the specific environment in which an infectious pathogen naturally lives, persists, and reproduces, or upon which the pathogen primarily depends for survival. A reservoir is usually a living host of a particular species, such as an animal, human, or plant, within which the pathogen survives, often without causing severe disease in the reservoir itself. By some definitions, a reservoir may also be an environment external to an organism, such as contaminated water, soil, or air, if the pathogen can persist there long enough to contribute to transmission. Because of the diversity of infectious microorganisms, their host ranges, and the different ecological systems in which they circulate, definitions of a natural reservoir are numerous and sometimes conflicting. In general, the reservoir concept applies most clearly to pathogens...

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