Wildlife pathology gets renewed focus in One Health surveillance

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A special issue in Animals is drawing attention to a familiar but often under-resourced part of veterinary medicine: wildlife disease pathology and diagnostic investigation. Edited by Lorenzo Domenis and Serena Robetto of Italy’s National Reference Centre for Wildlife Diseases, the collection frames wildlife pathology as more than a conservation tool, arguing that postmortem exams, histopathology, microbiology, and field-linked diagnostics are central to detecting threats that can affect wildlife, livestock, pets, and people. The issue comes amid continued One Health focus after COVID-19 and includes case reports and surveillance-oriented papers spanning infectious disease, neoplasia, and diagnostic workflows in free-living and captive wildlife. (mdpi.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the message is practical: wildlife diagnostics can function as an early warning system, but only if pathology capacity, sample quality, and cross-sector reporting are strong enough to turn isolated cases into usable surveillance. Prior literature has shown that diagnostic pathologists are often the first to recognize emerging animal health threats, and wildlife health experts have argued that surveillance programs need stronger regional capacity, validated tests, and better integration with animal and public health systems. That matters for companion animal practice, too, because spillover risks, shared environments, and changing wildlife-human-pet interfaces increasingly put clinics downstream of broader ecosystem health trends. (journals.sagepub.com)

What to watch: Expect continued emphasis on standardized wildlife surveillance, diagnostic validation, and One Health reporting frameworks as more papers from this special issue and related programs are published. (woah.org)