Wildlife conservation status and disease trends: ten years of reports to the Worldwide Monitoring System for Wild Animal Diseases.

Abstract

Disease is an increasingly recognised threat to wild animal populations and the conservation of endangered species. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Worldwide Monitoring System for Wild Animal Diseases (WAHIS-Wild) serves as the main global information portal for wildlife disease events, compiled via voluntary reporting by countries on non-OIE-listed diseases. The first decade of reports to WAHIS-Wild were analysed to identify trends and examine their relevance for conservation. Between 2008 and 2018, a total of 4,229 wildlife disease events were reported, with the majority from the European continent. When standardised for nomenclature changes, 54 unique previous or current non-OIE-listed diseases were reported. The most common disease events (collectively representing > 50% of reports) were chemical poisoning (12.5% of events reported), infection with low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (11.9%), infection with Salmonella enterica (10.8%), infection with Pasteurella spp. (8.4%) and infection with Trichomonas spp. in birds and reptiles (7.5%). Reports indicated disease in 501 unique species, 19.2% of which are listed as endangered species based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, and 30.7% of which are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The findings suggest reporting gaps, including likely geographical area and other biases. More systematic reporting of wildlife disease and use of this information in biodiversity assessment and decision-making would result in better animal health and conservation coordination in a One Health context.