Wildlife Virology is a 3-credit undergraduate/graduate-level course that provides a comprehensive and up-to-date synopsis on pathogenic RNA and DNA viruses of wildlife which are transmissible to humans, domestic animals, and other wildlife or zoological species. Topics include:
- The molecular biology, taxonomy, and phylogenetics of virus species that are of veterinary and/or public health importance
- The ecology and epizootiology of wildlife viruses, including the reservoir and amplifying hosts – along with vectors where applicable – involved in normal transmission cycle(s) and how that shapes their geographical distributions
- How cross-species transmission occurs into alternate hosts such as domestic animals or humans and the potential epizootiological or epidemiological significance of such events
- The clinical signs and symptoms of viral infection in target (wildlife reservoir and amplifying hosts) and non-target (humans, domestic animals, or other wildlife) species, where known