Virologists are concerned about the threat of viral infection from animals. For example, the 2003 sudden acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic may have originated from human contact with captive civet cats in rural China. Viruses and bacteria can also spread when birds, dogs, prairie dogs, bats, vermin, and other animals, including primates and humans, concentrate their populations. Of particular concern to me are animal “factory farms,” wherein thousands of chickens, hogs, cows, or other animals are aggregated, providing a prime breeding environment for microbes. Feedlots and factory
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