EID WILDLIFE

Emerging Infectious Diseases in Wildlife is focused on the recognition of new and reemerging animal pathogens

Research Pathway: Wildlife Health and Disease

Since 1990 with the support of the Servei d’Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS).

Period: 1990 to date.

A European Brown hare that died of a severe infection with Lagovirus europaeus GI.2. (A, epistasis; B, necrotizing hepatitis; C, lung hemorrhages and edema). The study of animals found dead in the environment provide us very valuable information on the diseases present and it is the best approach to detect emerging diseases.

Detecting emerging infectious diseases is part of our Wildlife Disease Surveillance (WDS) program. This Surveillance has a main component and consists of general disease surveillance (passive surveillance or fallen wildlife) and is supplemented with targeted monitoring and research projects. The WDS program is possible through funding from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (DARPA, Generalitat de Catalunya), the General Council of Aran (Coselh Generau d’Aran) and the Catalan Hunting Federation (Federació Catalana de Caça)..

Our focus

To know and measure the infectious and parasitic agents circulating in wildlife populations. To study and alert of the impact of the diseases in the animals and the populations (fitness, decline, extinction). To early detect an emerging disease. To communicate when a disease risk posed by wildlife presents a potential threat to agriculture or humans.

Our goal

To understand the ecological changes underneath the emergence and transmission of diseases to decrease their impact and improve health within populations.

Our inspiration

“Wildlife disease control is a matter of doctoring the environment not the animal” Leopold 1933

Collaborations

Our work would not be possible without the collaboration of several public and private entities that inform of sick or dead animals in the environment and that make possible the transport of the animals to our facilities for their study. Special thanks to the technicians from the public administration and Rural Agents (Cos d’Agents Rurals) from the regional government and hunters.

We have developed collaborations with several National Hunting Reserves, as well as local Wildlife Rescue Centers (CRARC, CF Vallcalent, CF Torreferrusa), universities (UdL) and research centers (IRTA-CReSA) that definitely increase our capabilities to detect diseases in wildlife populations.