Pets, Wildlife and Parasites

Dear Colleagues,

Pet ownership is presently a common and popular practice in most parts of the world. It has been estimated that 50% of people in all developed countries keep at least 1 pet, with dogs and cats being the most popular choice among pet owners. As can be expected, for pet owners, the health and wellbeing of the animals is a primary concern; however, widespread ownership also triggers discussion concerning zoonotic diseases.

On the other hand, wild animals have a particular—and occasionally decisive—role in maintaining and spreading infectious agents; knowledge of this role is essential in research regarding both their health/conservation status and their contribution to the epizootiology of important pathogens, which may spread to domestic animals and/or to humans.

Parasites are among the most prevalent health-impairing agents affecting both pet animals and wildlife. While, in wild animals, parasitism is the norm, in pet animals, prevention and treatment aim to minimize parasitic infections/infestations. Regardless of the affected animal species and domesticated status, parasites may severely affect animals’ health, and parasitic diseases are occasionally fatal. Additionally, zoonotic parasitic diseases are a known threat to human health, and human infection can occur independently of a given individual’s contact with pets or wild animals.

In this stimulating context, Pathogens is launching a Special Issue entitled “Pets, Wildlife and Parasites”, with the aim of providing new information and knowledge to the scientific community through the publication of high-quality articles exploring these topics.

This Special Issue is open for submission of research articles, interesting case presentations and review articles. Potential topics for consideration by interested authors include—but are not limited to—the following:

• Parasites and parasitic diseases of pet animals—epizootiology (occurrence, prevalence, distribution, seasonality, new host records, etc.); bridging infections between pets and wild animals; zoonotic implications and One Health approaches; new insights on diagnosis, treatment and prevention strategies.
• Parasites and parasitic diseases of wild animals—investigation of parasitic fauna and its impact on wild animals’ health/conservation status; new information on epizootiology; investigations of “split over” phenomena; importance for public health; strategies for surveillance, control and prevention.

Dr. Anastasia Diakou
Dr. Fabrizia Veronesi
Dr. Georgiana Deak
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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