Applications of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Wildlife Health Assessment, Disease Surveillance, and Conservation

Abstract

Wildlife constitutes a fundamental component of the ecosystem integrity. Wild animals play a crucial role in the maintenance and transmission of infectious agents and may act as reservoir hosts for several emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases. Wildlife biochemical investigations are indispensable for understanding disease dynamics, identifying physiological stressors, monitoring health status, and developing strategies for disease prevention, preparedness, and response in wildlife populations. This review synthesizes available literature on wildlife hematology, serum biochemistry, molecular diagnostics, and conservation genomics, with an emphasis on Indian wildlife species and relevant global studies. It also exhibits the importance of application of advanced omics technologies, including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and metagenomics, in understanding wildlife physiology, disease resistance, dietary adaptation, and host–microbiome interactions. Many molecular markers like mt marker, AFLP, RAPD, Sex chromosome markers, microsatellites are contributing for the wildlife conservation to the greatest extent.  The utility of these approaches in conservation management, assisted reproductive technologies, and genetic resource banking is discussed in the context of preserving endangered and vulnerable species. Collectively, this review is an attempt to emphasize the urgent need for coordinated, multidisciplinary efforts to generate species-specific biochemical and molecular reference data and to integrate modern biotechnological tools into wildlife health monitoring and conservation strategies in India and beyond.