Wildlife health monitoring traditionally requires capturing animals, which can be stressful for them, risky for researchers, and impractical at ecosystem scale. Dr. Maristela Martins de Camargo at the University of São Paulo proposed an innovative new approach: a non-invasive, contact-free sampling device that animals would voluntarily interact with, leaving behind saliva samples that could be analyzed for pathogens, genetic information, and health markers.
Preliminary work with capybaras demonstrated that the team could successfully recover DNA from saliva deposited on filter paper by free-ranging animals attracted to lick a sampling pad. Through the Catalyst Science Fund, Revive & Restore has supported a proof-of-concept project to test the sampling pad prototype with laboratory mice infected with rabies virus and cats naturally infected with feline viruses to validate that the samples would be suitable for pathogen detection and genomic analysis.
The team created a specialized sampling pad, called the Spontaneous Wildlife Autonomous Biosampler (SWAB), that animals voluntarily lick, allowing researchers to collect saliva samples without capturing or restraining them. This method proved particularly successful with cats, where it performed even better than traditional swabbing techniques for detecting feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).
The team’s work has already yielded valuable insights. During their testing with laboratory mice, the genetic sequencing of saliva samples unexpectedly revealed breaches in the animal facility’s sanitary barriers, demonstrating how this tool could be used to non-invasively monitor conditions without capturing animals.
Thanks to the proof-of-concept work our funding supported, this innovative approach is gaining momentum with several exciting applications on the horizon:
- With funding from the Wild Animal Initiative, the team is using the samplers to study stress hormones in marmosets and opossums, comparing animals in natural forest areas to those living near urban centers, all without capturing them.
- Working with the Smithsonian National Zoo, the team has applied for a grant to develop secure versions of the sampler that can withstand bears and big cats, potentially helping to monitor some of the most challenging endangered species.
- In collaboration with Yale University, the team has applied for a grant to design automated versions that could function in wilderness areas without human presence, expanding the ability to monitor wildlife health in remote ecosystems.
- With colleagues now working in a major Atlantic forest reserve in Brazil, they are hoping to soon deploy samplers in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.
The designs will be made publicly available with a manuscript detailing methods and findings. This project shows how strategic early funding can catalyze innovations with conservation impact. We’re excited to see how this simple yet powerful technology develops and contributes to our understanding of wildlife diseases in wild populations.
