Migratory birds as vectors of zoonotic diseases: Surveillance and One Health approaches

Abstract Background : Migratory birds are becoming key vectors in the spread of infectious diseases, including zoonotic pathogens that are resistant to antimicrobials. These diseases can cross geographical boundaries, posing significant threats to global health security. As climate change alters bird populations and migration routes, new pathways for disease transmission are likely to emerge, potentially causing outbreaks in regions where certain diseases were once non-endemic. This presents increased risks to both wildlife and human health. Methods : This mini-review is specific to an understudied transmission pathway of migratory birds as vectors of zoonotic pathogens. It highlights critical knowledge gaps that must be addressed to improve preparedness for bird-mediated disease threats. Results : Addressing the threat posed by bird-mediated disease transmission requires specific, coordinated surveillance strategies that go beyond general calls for enhanced monitoring. Multi-disciplinary expertise integration should encompass ornithologists to determine migration timing and flyway routes, local communities and citizen science networks to optimize their contributions and expand surveillance capacity beyond institutional capabilities, climate scientists to identify environmental drivers of pathogen emergence, public health officials to assess zoonotic transmission risks, veterinarians to monitor wildlife health status, diagnostic laboratories to enable rapid pathogen detection, and genomic sequencing centres to track outbreak dynamics and antimicrobial resistance patterns. Conclusion : Specific international collaborations between institutions along major flyways, integrated surveillance networks involving ornithologists, local communities, veterinarians, public health officials, and diagnostic laboratories, and a One Health approach with concrete surveillance protocols are essential to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) associated with migratory birds. One Health impact statement Enhanced surveillance and international collaboration in adopting a One Health approach to mitigate pathogen transmission by migratory birds, which are disease vectors that easily traverse borders, is essential to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) associated with migratory birds.