Applying a One Health approach to expand disease surveillance in eastern wildlife

Urban wildlife carry numerous diseases of veterinary and human health importance. Many of these diseases are emerging into new geographic areas, including the southeastern United States, due to a combination of climate change, urbanization, and migration. Urban wildlife can act as excellent sentinels for these diseases, providing doctors and veterinarians with a better understanding of the risks to their patients. We sought to better understand a variety of diseases of human and animal concern via urban wildlife surveillance. We found a high prevalence of numerous zoonotic and companion animal diseases in wildlife, both with and without significant health impacts on the wildlife itself.