Animals as sentinels: using comparative medicine to move beyond the laboratory

Area of Science:

• Comparative medicine
• Environmental health
• One Health initiative

Background:

• Comparative medicine utilizing laboratory animals has advanced human health.
• Environmental health risks are known through animal studies and human epidemiology.
• Naturally occurring animal diseases offer an underutilized source of information on host-environment interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of studying diseases in wild animal populations as sentinels for human health threats.
• To highlight the underuse and underexploration of naturally occurring animal diseases in understanding environmental health hazards.
• To advocate for enhanced communication and collaboration between human and animal health professionals.

Main Methods:

• Leveraging advancements in comparative genomics, animal epidemiology, and bioinformatics.
• Applying the "One Health" concept to foster a comparative clinical approach.
• Encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration to identify and mitigate shared health risks.

Main Results:

• Naturally occurring animal diseases can serve as early warnings for human environmental health hazards.
• Progress in technology and concepts like "One Health" facilitates cross-species health surveillance.
• Enhanced communication can improve the identification of sentinel events.

Conclusions:

• The study of diseases in animal populations offers a valuable, yet underutilized, method for detecting human health risks.
• The "One Health" approach and technological advancements provide a framework for integrating animal and human health surveillance.
• Comparative medicine can be expanded by incorporating insights from naturally occurring animal diseases, complementing traditional laboratory research.