AN INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS-DISEASES IN FREE-RANGING AND CAPTIVE WILD ANIMALS

National and international systems for the prevention and control of i nfectious diseases of humans, domestic animals, and laboratory animals (rodents and primates) are reviewed as a perspective for proposing th e development of a national/international system for the management of the infectious diseases of free-ranging and captive wild animals and for the translocation and reintroduction of endangered species. The sy stem would foster cooperation, communication, and coordination of inde pendent far-flung free-ranging and captive wild animal research and ma nagement programs throughout the United States and the world. This pro posal includes subsystems for informally organizing the professional c ommunity, for fostering epidemiologic activities, for developing refer ence laboratory diagnostics resources, for developing an information/d ata base system, for developing a communications system, and for foste ring other interactions.