Book Review: David Quammen's Spillover by Richard Fried

In Spillover, David Quammen describes what “the Next Big One” is and why we should be so afraid. Basically, the Next Big One is the next killer disease. The next influenza. The next AIDS. His main contention is that this disease will be “zoonotic,” or one that passes from animals to humans. By examining past diseases such as Hendra, Ebola, SARS, Q Fever, Lyme Disease, and AIDS, he explains how animals and humans are deeply connected, for better or worse. 

I must say this book is a rare bird indeed. Few are so easy to read without sacrificing scientific integrity. By reading this book, one can also understand how epidemiologists prevent diseases. He shares several enlightening stories about disease hunting such as catching bats and scanning them for Nipah. This book is also incredibly well-researched. David literally travelled around the world collecting evidence, personal statements, and expert testimonies to make a fantastically researched book. 

David Quammen crafts a beautiful but terrifying image of just how scary some diseases can be. Whether discussing his travels to Bangladesh where he trapped and tested bats or speaking to disease experts, Quammen’s passion for biology shines though. The second half starts with general information on diseases (basic reproductive rate, morbidity and mortality, virulence, cohort studies.) Quammen manages to take an incredibly dry subject and make it mildly entertaining. This information is riddled with personal stories to show how epidemiologists use this information in the real world. My favorite is when he explains his journey into Indonesia in hopes of finding the reservoir of the hidden herpes B virus. This monster is hard to transfer from person to person, but it has a high chance of death when it does. 

The biggest portion, however, is on the most significant current zoonosis--HIV and AIDS. Tracing the complicated origins, Quammen tells the history of its discovery from start to finish. Apparently coming from a closely related SIVcpz , HIV spilledover after a meat hunter prepared his meat incorrectly. Spreading rampant throughout Africa, it was only a matter of time before it traveled to America. Soon epidemiologists around the world focused on solving the biggest problem in disease studies--”What is this new pathogen?” Scientist discovered that this pandemic was a retrovirus, a special type of virus that causes devastating effects. In the end, Quammen clearly convinced me on his point; zoonotic diseases are a force to be reckoned with.

Spillover also doesn’t claim things that we’re not sure of as well. It leaves the readers with a variety of questions such as “Where does Ebola come from?” and “What is the evolutionary lineage of Malaria?” He presents the latest research and discusses its implications. Overall, if you are in any way interested in science and biology, I can’t recommend reading this book enough.