Research overview: disease and parasite exposure in snow leopards

Snow leopards inhabit remote high mountains, yet they are not isolated from disease, facing exposure to pathogens shared with domestic animals and prey across their range. This overview surveys what is known about snow leopard health, including serological evidence of exposure to feline and canine viruses, parasite burdens, and the documented susceptibility revealed when captive snow leopards contracted SARS-CoV-2. It examines the role of domestic dogs and livestock at high-altitude pastures as disease sources, the logistical difficulty of studying such an elusive cat, and the conservation implications of disease for small, fragmented populations. The synthesis connects felid disease ecology to one of the least-accessible big cats. It aims to give readers a picture of the emerging understanding of disease threats to snow leopards.