Surveillance and Control of Wildlife Diseases: Integrating Ecology, Pathology, and Public Health

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in wildlife are critical threats to biodiversity, human health, and economies worldwide. These diseases often jump across species, leading to severe outbreaks among animals and humans. The growing impacts of climate change, habitat loss, and increased interaction between humans and wildlife only heighten these risks. Recent studies have highlighted the increasing frequency and severity of these outbreaks, underscoring the urgent need for effective surveillance and control measures. Despite advancements in understanding disease dynamics, significant gaps remain in our ability to predict, diagnose, and manage these diseases in complex wildlife ecosystems. Current efforts are often hampered by the lack of adaptable diagnostic tools and comprehensive pathological insights, necessitating a more integrated and innovative approach to disease management in wildlife.

This research topic aims to explore and encourage the development of pathological and diagnostic methods used in monitoring and managing emerging and re-emerging diseases among wildlife populations. We are looking to uncover and discuss effective strategies that prevent diseases from spreading among wildlife, livestock, and humans, improving ecological and public health. This collection intends to create a multidisciplinary conversation that connects traditional pathology with wildlife disease diagnostics, propelling solutions that match the complexity of the ecosystems involved.

To gather further insights into the surveillance and control of emerging and re-emerging diseases in wildlife, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Development and application of novel diagnostic technologies
- Cellular and molecular studies on disease mechanisms
- Impact of environmental changes on disease dynamics
- Innovative strategies for disease prevention and control
- Case studies on successful disease management in wildlife populations
- Interdisciplinary approaches combining ecology, pathology, and public health
- Reviews of current diagnostic practices and their limitations
- Potential pathways for implementing new diagnostic measures

Keywords: Wildlife diseases, Emerging infectious diseases, Surveillance, Disease control, Wildlife conservation, Zoonotic diseases, Epidemiology, Environmental monitoring, re-emerging diseases, infectious diseases, wildlife, pathology, diagnostic technologies, prevention, control

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.