Which of the following describes sentinel surveillance type that uses sentinel species to detect outbreaks?

• A. Using sentinel species to detect outbreaks
• B. Reporting by clinics
• C. Wastewater Surveillance
• D. Registries

Answer: (A)

The concept here is sentinel surveillance, which uses a selected indicator to detect changes in disease activity and provide an early warning of outbreaks. When the approach specifically mentions sentinel species, it means monitoring particular animals or other biological indicators that reflect what may be happening in the broader environment or population. Illness trends in these sentinel species can signal emerging problems before human cases rise, allowing quicker public health actions. That’s why the option describing the use of sentinel species to detect outbreaks is the best fit.

Other surveillance forms described—clinic reporting relies on human cases seen in health care settings, wastewater surveillance looks for pathogens in community sewage, and registries collect detailed case data—do not function as the sentinel signal coming from indicator species, which is the hallmark of this type of sentinel approach.