Michael Fay, the mad dreamer of African conservation, whose dedication to preserving wild ecosystems and their fauna and flora is exceeded only, if at all, by his physical and intellectual toughness. Walking for weeks through Congolese and Gabonese forests with Mike Fay has been one of the great privileges of my life.
And because National Geographic has continued to sustain me with other work and privileged field experiences in the years since—including the assignment that led to “Deadly Contact,” a feature story on zoonotic diseases, published in the October 2007 issue—I also declare here my ongoing gratitude to Chris Johns (editor in chief, having succeeded Bill Allen), Carolyn White, Victoria Pope, again my longtime editor Oliver Payne, and all the other people involved in producing that great magazine. Lynn Johnson did a brilliant job on the photographic side of “Deadly Contact.” Billy Karesh and Peter Daszak helped brainstorm the coverage plan for the article. Billy also provided fine company and veterinary insights on three continents. Peter Reid opened a crucial line into the subject when, in a former paddock near Brisbane, amid newly built houses and dark memories, he said: “That’s it. That’s the bloody tree.”
Jens Kuhn, Charlie Calisher, and Mike Gilpin read the complete book in draft and gave me many invaluable corrections, suggestions, and remonstrations. Their expertise, thoroughness, and generosity made the book much better, but don’t hold them responsible for any of its failings. Karl Johnson, from a very early stage, shared his thoughts and memories as an expert and as a friend, and allowed me to read his own book-in-progress on the Machupo story. Les Real counseled me on disease ecology and on the historical development of mathematical disease theory, from Bernoulli to Anderson and May. Karl Johnson, Les Real, and these other scientists and informants also found time to read and correct various sections in draft: Sazaly AbuBakr, Brian Amman, Brenda Ang, Michelle Barnes, Donald Burke, Aleksei Chmura, Jenny Cory, Janet Cox-Singh, Greg Dwyer, Gregory Engel, Jonathan Epstein, Kylie Forster, Emily Gurley, Beatrice Hahn, Barry Hewlett, Eddie Holmes, Lisa Jones-Engel, Jean-Marie Kabongo, Phyllis Kanki, Billy Karesh again, Brandon Keele, Eric Leroy, Steve Luby, Martin Muller, Judith Myers, Rick Ostfeld, Martine Peeters, Raina Plowright, Peter Reid, Hendrik-Jan Roest, Linda Selvey, Balbir Singh, Jaap Taal, Karen Terio, Dirk Teuwen, Jonathan Towner, Kelly Warfield, Robert Webster, and Michael Worobey. Lin-fa Wang gave me a day-long tour of the BSL-4 and other facilities at AAHL, in Geelong. Kelly Warfield likewise gave me a day, poured out her story, and got me into (and back out of) the Slammer. Ian Lipkin opened his lab and his people to me as well. Quite a few other scientists, mentioned below, trusted me with the opportunity to accompany them during fieldwork. Larry Madoff provided me inestimable assistance, without knowing it, through his ProMED-mail alerts on disease incidents around the world. And there were many others, so many, in so many places, who aided my research efforts so variously—as interviewees or expert consultants or traveling companions or providers of leads—that my further thanks are best organized geographically and alphabetically.
In Australia: Natalie Beohm, Jennifer Crane, Bart Cummings, Rebekah Day, Carol de Jong, Hume Field, Kylie Forster, Kim Halpin, Peter Hulbert, Brenton Lawrence, David Lovell, Deb Middleton, Nigel Perkins, Raina Plowright, Stephen Prowse, Peter Reid, Linda Selvey, Neil Slater, Craig Smith, Gary Tabor, Barry Trail, Ray Unwin, Craig Walker, Lin-fa Wang, Emma Wilkins, and Dick Wright.
In Africa: Patrick Atimnedi, Bruno Baert, Prosper Balo, Paul Bates, Roman Biek, Ken Cameron, Anton Collins, Zacharie Dongmo, Bob Downing, Ofir Drori, Clelia Gasquet, Jane Goodall, Barry Hewlett, Naftali Honig, Jean-Marie Kabongo, Winyi Kaboyo, Glady Kalema-Zikusoka, Shadrack Kamenya, Billy Karesh, John Kayiwa, Sally Lahm, Eric Leroy, Iddi Lipende, Julius Lutwama, Pegue Manga, Neville Mbah, Apollonaire Mbala, Alastair McNeilage, Achille Mengamenya, Jean Vivien Mombouli, Albert Munga, J. J. Muyembe, Max Mviri, Cécile Neel, Hanson Njiforti, Alain Ondzie, Cindy Padilla, Andrew Plumptre, Xavier Pourrut, Jane Raphael, Trish Reed, Paul Roddy, Innocent Rwego, Jordan Tappero, Moïse Tchuialeu, Peter Walsh, Joe Walston, Nadia Wauquier, Beryl West, and Lee White.
In Asia: Sazaly AbuBakar, Brenda Ang, Mohammad Aziz, Aleksei Chmura, Janet Cox-Singh, Jim Desmond, Gregory Engel, Jonathan Epstein, Mustafa Feeroz, Martin Gilbert, Emily Gurley, Johangir Hossain, Arif Islam, Yang Jian, Lisa Jones-Engel, Rasheda Khan, Salah Uddin Khan, Steve Luby, Sue Meng, Joe Meyer, Nazmun Nahar, Malik Peiris, Leo Poon, Mahmudur Rahman, Muhammad Rahman, Sohayati Rahman, Sorn San, Balbir Singh, Gavin Smith, Juliet Tseng, and Guangjian Zhu.
In Europe: Rob Besselink, Arnout de Bruin, Pierre Formenty, Fabian Leendertz, Viktor Molnar,