Wildlife Histopathology and Molecular Diagnosis

Dear Colleagues,

Histopathology, field that involves examining tissues at a microscopic level, enables researchers to evaluate how various diseases and environmental stressors affect animals.

It involves the microscopic examination of tissues, providing a detailed analysis of cellular changes, lesions and abnormalities. Specifically, regarding wild animals, this method enables researchers to explore the existence of pathogens, evaluate organ damage and identify potential threats to population health.

Molecular histopathology also yields essential data for comprehending the health dynamics of wildlife species in response to emerging threats and environmental changes, playing a pivotal role in informed conservation and management decisions.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative PCR (qPCR), DNA sequencing, reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) are transformative molecular tools that have revolutionized diagnostics in the field. These techniques play a crucial role in advancing diagnostic capabilities and have significantly enhanced our ability to analyze and understand genetic information.

Understanding the genetic structure is essential for effective conservation strategies, as it helps identify vulnerable populations and assess their resilience to environmental changes. A substantial portion of disease outbreaks are caused by viruses, including influenza A and various strains of Morbillivirus. Following viruses, bacteria represent the second most prevalent contributors to mass die-offs, although these incidents typically exhibit less severity.

This Special Issue welcomes interdisciplinary contributions from biologists, veterinarians, conservationists and geneticists, focusing on wildlife health through histopathology and molecular diagnoses.

Dr. Nakita Câmara
Dr. Eva Sierra
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• wildlife
• histopathology
• molecular diagnosis