A review of endangered wildlife hosts in Europe for selected pathogens to be targeted by One Health surveillance

EFSA has been asked by the EU Commission to assess the prioritization of cross‐border pathogens that threaten the Union to be used in setting up a coordinated surveillance system under the One Health approach. A list of 50 pathogen has been considered in a first stage by the Working Group of EFSA. Under this approach, the criteria to be applied for prioritization of pathogens in further steps should consider that emerging infectious diseases have arisen from or been identified in wildlife, with health implications for humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. The identified infectious diseases pose a threat to wildlife populations and biodiversity and are perceived by the society as real risks to wildlife conservation. Here we review the endangered wildlife hosts in Europe that may be affected by the selected pathogens. We elaborated a list of potential endangered wildlife hosts distributed in Europe for each pathogen, which were sortied following their taxonomic classification. Hosts species were classified (as a function of their conservation status) as Near Threatened (NT), Vulnerable (BVU), Endangered (EN) and Critically Endangered (CE) based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Their endemicity status (to EU and to Europe, respectively) was also indicated. To consider a species as potential hosts, a literature review was performed. We detailed the taxonomic level at which each pathogen has been reported (from Order decreasingly to Species) so as the reporting of clinical signs, paying attention also to reports in the wild, but also in zoological collections. A complete table and data sources are presented. Pathogen specific cards to illustrate the main findings in relation to threatened wildlife host species are disseminated to experts on different disciplines to raise awareness about the relevance of wildlife conservation under the One Health approach and to promote the integration of this approach into management of human‐wildlife conflicts and conservation.