Review on long term studies on wildlife diseases

This dataset accompanies the systematic review and analysis presented in Barroso, Acevedo & Vicente (2021) on the importance of long-term wildlife disease research (LTWDR) and its interactions with human and domestic animal populations. The review synthesises trends in wildlife disease studies with durations of four or more consecutive years, spanning from 1993 to 2017, and includes data on the aims, host species, pathogens, and geographic distribution of the studies analyzed. Key insights from the review include: A significant increase in the number of long-term wildlife disease studies over the last two decades, reflecting a growing recognition of wildlife as an important reservoir for infectious diseases. Viruses, bacteria, and protozoans comprised the most frequently investigated pathogen types, while mammals (especially ungulates and carnivores) and birds were the dominant host groups. Nearly all studies reviewed (98.7%) provided conclusions on disease effects on host and infection dynamics, and a substantial portion also evaluated economic impacts and proposed management or control measures. The review highlights the added value of long-term data for understanding disease drivers and epidemiological processes that short-term studies cannot resolve, and discusses the potential of such data to inform decision-making regarding disease emergence and early warning systems.