Environmental contaminants in Wildlife from a One Health perspective

Wildlife species are increasingly recognized as valuable sentinels of environmental contamination and ecosystem health. Their exposure across terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and aerial environments can provide important information on the occurrence, distribution, bioaccumulation, and biological effects of legacy and emerging contaminants. Toxicological surveillance in wildlife can reveal spatial and temporal patterns of contamination, identify potential effects on animal populations, and contribute to the assessment of ecosystem health. Within a One Health framework, wildlife toxicology provides a link between environmental and animal health and, where shared exposure pathways or hazards are identified, may also offer insights relevant to human health. Integrating evidence across species, habitats, and toxicological endpoints can therefore strengthen our understanding of contaminant dynamics and their broader ecological and health implications.Wildlife toxicology studies are often fragmented across species, regions, ecosystems, and contaminant groups, limiting our ability to develop an integrated understanding of environmental exposure and its relevance within a One Health framework. This Research Topic aims to bring together studies that advance the detection, monitoring, characterization, and interpretation of contaminant exposure in wildlife. Relevant contaminants may include, but are not limited to, persistent organic pollutants, metals and metalloids, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, microplastics, natural toxins, and contaminant mixtures.Studies addressing contaminant burdens, spatial and temporal trends, exposure pathways, bioaccumulation, biomagnification, biomarkers, toxicological effects, and mixture-related exposure are particularly encouraged. Studies focused primarily on contaminant occurrence or concentrations are also welcome when they provide meaningful insight into exposure patterns, environmental surveillance, potential implications, or emerging risks, even in the absence of direct assessment of biological effects. By integrating evidence across wildlife species and ecosystems, this collection seeks to strengthen wildlife toxicology as a tool for environmental surveillance and for identifying current and emerging threats to animal and ecosystem health, with implications for human health where supported by the evidence.This Research Topic welcomes studies investigating environmental exposure to toxic substances in wildlife across diverse ecosystems and geographical regions. Topics may include contaminant occurrence and tissue burdens, biomonitoring, exposure assessment, toxicokinetics, biomarkers, contaminant mixtures, and associated health effects. Studies combining wildlife samples with environmental matrices are also encouraged when these data contribute to interpreting wildlife exposure. Particular interest will be given to underrepresented species, regions, contaminants, and novel analytical, sampling, or surveillance approaches. Field-based studies on free-ranging wildlife are a priority, although complementary experimental approaches may be considered when they help elucidate exposure pathways, mechanisms, or effects observed under field conditions. Suitable manuscript types include Original Research, Methods papers, and Reviews, including systematic or scoping reviews, provided they offer a clear contribution to wildlife toxicology and environmental surveillance. Topic editors: Rafael Mora-Medina, Pablo Olmedo, Nahúm Ayala-Soldado, CAROLINA FERNÁNDEZ - MALDONADO, Shima Bakhshalizadeh Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/87011/environmental-contaminants-in-wildlife-from-a-one-health-perspective