Research overview: molecular epidemiology of carnivore pathogens affecting felids

Molecular tools have revolutionized the study of how pathogens spread among carnivores, including felids, by reading the genetic signatures of viruses and parasites. This overview surveys the use of molecular epidemiology to trace transmission, identify reservoirs and reconstruct outbreaks, from typing distemper strains to attributing leukemia virus spillover and tracking FIV across host populations. It examines how phylogenetic and phylodynamic methods turn pathogen sequences into inferences about hosts, timing and geography, and the integration of these data with field surveillance. The synthesis connects genomics to disease ecology. It aims to help readers understand how the genetic information carried by pathogens has become a powerful lens for understanding felid disease, allowing researchers to answer questions about origin, spread and reservoir that traditional methods alone could not resolve.