Title: One-health approach as counter-measure against “autoimmune” responses in biosecurity
Research summary: Pesticides are often used to pre-emptively kill nature (that thing we are in) before nature itself will ‘attack’ us. The paper expands on this idea and draws a parallel between the immune systems at a biological level and immune systems on a socio-political and cultural level. By building on the analogy between the biological immune system and “immune responses” on socio-political level, the article shows how an immunological framework can be fruitful for grasping (assessing and reconceptualising) biosecurity.
The paper elaborates on the above via an analysis of the medical-political response to recent viral threats. The paper uses Peter Sloterdijk's immunological framework as diagnostic tool. Sloterdijk showed how immunological concepts can be used to analyse and assess our contemporary biopolitical situation. The paper then demonstrates that ideas such as “nature is the biggest terrorist” – as advanced by many virologists and 'invasive species' ecologist – may sometimes result in exaggerated “immunisation responses”, for example, inappropriate and/or excessive pesticide use.
The strong defensive attitude of biosecurity therefore sometimes brings about collateral damage, which in biosecurity is commonly called 'off-target' damage. In other words, fierce biosecurity measures sometimes risk developing into “autoimmune” responses that actually destroy the very thing they are meant to protect.
By drawing on recent insights in the functioning of the biological immune system. the paper concludes that a One-Health approach to biosecurity has potential to incorporate a broader and nuanced “immunological” repertoire which could act as counter-measure against pesticidal “autoimmune” responses in biosecurity.
Mutsaers, I. (2015). One-health approach as counter-measure against “autoimmune” responses in biosecurity. Social Science & Medicine, 129, 123–130.
