Research overview: serosurveys as a window on pathogen exposure in wild carnivores

Serological surveys, which detect antibodies as evidence of past or present infection, are a workhorse of wildlife disease epidemiology. This overview surveys how serosurveys reveal pathogen exposure in lions, pumas and other felids, the suite of viruses commonly screened, and the interpretive cautions involved, since antibodies indicate exposure but not necessarily disease, active infection or protection. It examines cross-reactivity among related pathogens, the difficulty of obtaining samples from elusive cats, and how repeated cross-sectional surveys reconstruct epidemic history. The synthesis connects serology to questions about reservoir dynamics, epidemic timing and population immunity. It aims to give readers a grounded understanding of both the power and the limitations of antibody surveys, the lens through which much of what we know about felid disease exposure has been seen.