Submitted by Bored_Survivor t3_zfvx6l in askscience
vibriojoey t1_izfm3r2 wrote
Reply to comment by RandomUserName076 in Are there a lot more diseases for land animals than sea creatures? If yes, why? by Bored_Survivor
A lot of the diseases of marine origin ( I mean true marine origin and not just human waste being dumped into the bay) are usually cases of a microorganisn finding its way in the wrong host and encountering a hostile situation and it fights back. Because our immune system and natural flora are only well equipped to deal with the usual threats from land and fresh water pathogens a marine one like Vibrio vulnificus can easily overwhelm our defenses once an infection is established.
Bacteria are more common. Viruses are very host and tissue specific and because we arent around marine mammals all the time it would difficult for a virus to cross over between us if one even could even transmit at all.
RandomUserName076 t1_izfmqja wrote
thanks for the detailed answer.
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