Cécile SARABIAN "The Evolution of Disease Avoidance: From Cognition to Conservation"

Disgust, a neural adaptive system, serves as a trigger for behavioral immunity in vertebrates, evolving to protect hosts from disease. Our experimental studies address five key questions: (1) What triggers avoidance in non-human primates (NHPs)? (2) Does disgust provide health benefits? (3) Is disgust learned in NHPs? (4) Are there cognitive markers of disgust? (5) What are its potential applications? We found that NHPs avoid sensory cues linked to biological contaminants, and those who avoid contaminated food have lower infection rates. Disgust is partly learned and interacts with physiological immunity, affecting cognitive processes based on the type of risk (infection vs. predation). While disgust is already applied in public health, it has broader potential in wildlife management, conservation, and animal welfare. I will also introduce ongoing and future projects that aim to leverage these protective behaviors to reduce negative interactions among animals and humans.