Recent changes in infectious diseases of European wildlife

Infectious diseases of European wildlife present a potential risk not only to biodiversity but—when shared with domestic animals and people—to livestock production and public health. Because the prevalence and distribution... [ view full abstract ]

Infectious diseases of European wildlife present a potential risk not only to biodiversity but—when shared with domestic animals and people—to livestock production and public health. Because the prevalence and distribution of these diseases may change rapidly, continuous monitoring is necessary to be able to develop adequate management strategies. In the absence of a formal European wildlife health surveillance network, data on wildlife diseases across Europe are not compiled centrally and information tends to be patchy. We have reviewed changes in the last five years for the following pathogens occurring in European wildlife: African swine fever virus, Mycobacterium bovis, bluetongue virus, rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease virus, European brown hare syndrome virus, hepatitis E virus, Leishmania infantum, filovirus, Echinococcus multilocularis, Francisella tularensis, Brucella species, Batrachochytrium species, West Nile virus, amphibian ranavirus, avian influenza virus, canine distemper virus, marine mammal morbilliviruses, rabies virus, Schmallenberg virus, Coxiella burnetii, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus, Salmonella species, and hantaviruses. Pathogens of particular concern to biodiversity were Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in salamanders and H10N7 influenza virus in harbor seals; pathogens of concern for their impact on livestock were African swine fever virus in wild boar and H5N8 influenza virus in wild birds; pathogens of particular public health concern included Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus, and Marburg and Ebola viruses. The trends and emerging threats identified in this review underscore the need for more intensified wildlife health surveillance in Europe and better coordination with domestic animal and human health surveillance, in order to achieve a true One Health approach in Europe.