Fatemeh Shahabinejad

COVID-19 caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) originated in Wuhan (Hubei province, China) during late 2019. It has spread across the globe affecting nearly 21 million people with a toll of 0.75 million deaths and restricting the movement of most of the world population during the past 6 months. COVID-19 became the leading health, economic, and humanitarian challenge of the twenty-first century. In addition to the considerable COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in humans, several cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections in animal hosts (dog, cat, tiger, lion, and mink) have been reported. Thus, the concern of pet owners is increasing. Moreover, the dynamics of the disease requires further explanation, mainly concerning the transmission of the virus from humans to animals and vice versa. Therefore, this study aimed to gather information about the reported cases of COVID-19 transmission in animals through a literary review of works published in scientific journals and perform genomic and phylogenetic analyses of SARS-CoV-2 isolated from animal hosts. Although many instances of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 have been reported, caution and further studies are necessary to avoid the occurrence of maltreatment in animals, and to achieve a better understanding of the dynamics of the disease in the environment, humans, and animals. Future research in the animal-human interface can help formulate and implement preventive measures to combat the further transmission of COVID-19.

Monkeypox, now named mpox, has emerged as a significant public threat, as evidenced by the 2022 outbreak affecting over seventy countries globally. This infectious disease presents debilitating symptoms, including painful skin rashes, mucosal lesions, enlarged lymph nodes, and fever. The situation intensifies with concerns about a novel transmission route, specifically through sexual contact, and the evolution of more transmissible strains. Complicating matters further is the documented spillback of mpox from humans to animals, raising the potential for new animal reservoirs. This study utilized a systematic approach to gather, analyse, and interpret data regarding global mpox outbreaks, phylogenomics, human APOBEC3 enzyme activity, antiviral resistance issues, and the application of the One Health intervention. Emphasizing a One Health approach covers various aspects, including zoonotic origins, pathogenesis, changing epidemiological landscapes, phylogenomic diversity, and clade dynamics. The review underscores the crucial role of global collaboration in understanding and combatting mpox and making it a valuable resource for shaping effective prevention and control measures on a global scale.

Wars have devastating effects on all the components of the One Health approach: humans, animals, and ecosystems. Wars and the resulting migratory waves massively disrupt normal animal health services and surveillance. Among other consequences, they adversely impact the early detection, prevention, and control of animal diseases. Uncontrolled movement of animals or their undisposed carcasses, the destruction of wildlife habitats, and the increased interface between humans, wildlife, and domestic animals contribute to uncontrolled transmission and spread of zoonotic pathogens from animals to humans. In the last millennium, zoonotic diseases such as the “Black Death” were triggered by devastating wars and led to the deaths of a large fraction of the human population. However, also recent and ongoing wars carry the risk of an uncontrollable increase in zoonotic diseases. The most significant zoonotic diseases reported during the recent wars are African swine fever, highly pathogenic avian influenza, rabies, leptospirosis, and brucellosis, as well as foodborne and waterborne zoonotic diseases. Indeed, alarming rates of infections by antimicrobial‐resistant pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis go along with wars, as seen in the current Ukraine–Russia conflict. Considering human migration, foodborne and waterborne zoonotic diseases are key health threats for refugees due to the consumption of unsafe food, lack of safe water, and disruption of the water supply and sanitation system. This review summarizes the potential factors and some data associated with the increased risk of zoonotic disease emergence and transmission during recent and ongoing conflicts.