Five species of wild felines have been reported to occur in the Arabian Peninsula: Leopards (), cheetahs (), caracals (), sand cats () and wildcats (). Leopards and cheetahs are categorised as critically endangered and regionally extinct, respectively. In addition, the populations of caracals, sand cats and wildcats are rapidly declining. Captive breeding efforts have been successful at several regional institutions and play a major role in reintroduction programmes. Thus, in this review, we searched and summarised all relevant literature published up to October 2023 on the pathogens of these five feline species in the Arabian Peninsula, both and . In total, only 14 studies were found. Studies on pathogens of these animals within the region are scarce and do not reflect the seriousness of the conservation status of the animals. Furthermore, the published literature is scattered, and no systemic approach has been followed. This situation should be reconsidered, and the overall health of these felines, both captive and wild, should be regularly monitored. Research should be directed toward assessing the potential pathogens circulating amongst captive and wild feline populations to avoid an undesirable impact on any reintroduction effort.

中文翻译：

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阿拉伯半岛的野生猫科动物病原体：综述

据报道，阿拉伯半岛有五种野生猫科动物：豹子 ()、猎豹 ()、狞猫 ()、沙猫 () 和野猫 ()。豹子和猎豹分别被列为极度濒危和区域性灭绝。此外，野猫、沙猫和野猫的数量正在迅速减少。几个地区机构的圈养繁殖工作取得了成功，并在放归计划中发挥了重要作用。因此，在这篇综述中，我们检索并总结了截至 2023 年 10 月发表的关于阿拉伯半岛这五种猫科动物病原体的所有相关文献，包括 和 。总共只找到了 14 项研究。对该地区内这些动物的病原体的研究很少，并没有反映出这些动物保护状况的严重性。此外，发表的文献比较分散，没有系统性的方法。这种情况应该重新考虑，并且应该定期监测这些猫科动物（无论是圈养的还是野生的）的整体健康状况。研究应旨在评估圈养和野生猫科动物种群中传播的潜在病原体，以避免对任何放归工作产生不良影响。