Hepatitis E virus (HEV), species Paslahepevirus balayani, poses a global public health threat, especially in developing countries, by causing acute enterically transmitted hepatitis. HEV infects various mammalian hosts and belongs to the genus Paslahepevirus in the family Hepeviridae. While swine are recognized as the main hosts of HEV, rabbits, which can also be affected by swine HEV-3 related strains, serve as the primary reservoir for the distinct emerging and zoonotic HEV-3ra subtype. In Portugal, where the European wild rabbit is abundant, their role in HEV epidemiology remains unclear. The primary aim of the present research was to evaluate the circulation and the potential for HEV infection within these species. This study employed a molecular and longitudinal serological approach to investigate HEV in Portuguese rabbits. Among the 205 wild rabbits tested, a seroprevalence of 2.44% (95% CI: 0.80-5.60) was found, with no significant associations with age, sex, localization, or sampling dates. Seropositive animals were found in the south and center regions of the country. HEV RNA was not detected in 120 fecal samples, suggesting a natural, low level, and widespread viral circulation. The study underscores the need for further research to comprehend HEV dynamics in these species, which is crucial for assessing potential transmission risks to humans.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects both humans and animals worldwide. Currently, a positional war is ongoing in Ukraine, and the military is encountering a significant number of rodents in trenches and dugouts, which are known reservoirs for Leptospira, the causative agent of leptospirosis-a potentially dangerous infectious disease with a high mortality rate. The civilian population is also at potential risk of leptospirosis. The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6, 2023, has led to widespread devastation and human suffering. In the short term, there is a significant risk of rodent-borne diseases such as leptospirosis. We utilized data from the Ukrainian Centre for Disease Prevention Control and observed a substantial increase in prevalence in 2023. The notification rate in Ukraine in 2023 was 1.06 per 100,000 persons, which is higher than that of other countries in the European Union. Particular attention is being given to Zakarpattia Oblast, located on the western border of Ukraine, which shares boundaries with Romania, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, with an extremely high incidence rate of 12.08 per 100,000 persons. Based on these findings, we recommend education and awareness campaigns, vaccination, personal protective measures, and improved surveillance to address the increasing incidence of leptospirosis in Ukraine.

The emergence of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has led to significant interest in its potential transmission between animals and humans, especially pets. This review article summarises the literature on coronavirus infections in domestic animals, emphasising epidemiology, transmission dynamics, clinical manifestations, and public health implications. This article highlights current understandings of the relationship between infections in companion animals and humans, identifies research gaps, and suggests directions for future research. Cases of disease in cats, dogs, and other domestic animals, often occurring through close contact with infected owners, are reviewed, raising concerns about possible zoonotic and reverse zoonotic transmission. Precautions and recommendations for pet owners and healthcare workers are also discussed. The scientific evidence presented in the article highlights the need for a One Health approach that considers the health of people, animals, and the environment to combat future pandemics.

The genus Borrelia has been divided into Borreliella spp., which can cause Lyme Disease (LD), and Borrelia spp., which can cause Relapsing Fever (RF). The distribution of genus Borrelia has broadened due to factors such as climate change, alterations in land use, and enhanced human and animal mobility. Consequently, there is an increasing necessity for a One Health strategy to identify the key components in the Borrelia transmission cycle by monitoring the human-animal-environment interactions. The aim of this study is to summarize all accessible data to increase our understanding and provide a comprehensive overview of Borrelia distribution in the Mediterranean region. Databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Google were searched to determine the presence of Borreliella and Borrelia spp. in vectors, animals, and humans in countries around the Mediterranean Sea. A total of 3026 were identified and screened and after exclusion of papers that did not fulfill the including criteria, 429 were used. After examination of the available literature, it was revealed that various species associated with LD and RF are prevalent in vectors, animals, and humans in Mediterranean countries and should be monitored in order to effectively manage and prevent potential infections.

The use of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for disease prioritization at the sub-national level in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) is rare. In this research, we contextualized MCDA for parallel prioritization of endemic zoonoses and animal diseases in The Adamawa and North regions of Cameroon. MCDA was associated to categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA), and two-step cluster analysis. Six and seven domains made of 17 and 19 criteria (out of 70) respectively were selected by CATPCA for the prioritization of zoonoses and animal diseases, respectively. The most influencing domains were \"public health\" for zoonoses and \"control and prevention\" for animal diseases. Twenty-seven zoonoses and 40 animal diseases were ranked and grouped in three clusters. Sensitivity analysis resulted in high correlation between complete models and reduced models showing the robustness of the simplification processes. The tool used in this study can be applied to prioritize endemic zoonoses and transboundary animal diseases in SSA at the sub-national level and upscaled at the national and regional levels. The relevance of MCDA is high because of its contextualization process and participatory nature enabling better operationalization of disease prioritization outcomes in the context of African countries or other low and middle-income countries.

We conducted a cross-sectional serosurvey for chikungunya virus (CHIKV) exposure in fruit bats in Senegal during 2020-2023. We found that 13.3% (89/671) of bats had CHIKV IgG; highest prevalence was in Eidolon helvum (18.3%, 15/82) and Epomophorus gambianus (13.7%, 63/461) bats. Our results suggest these bats are naturally exposed to CHIKV.

Borrelia miyamotoi is an emerging tickborne pathogen that has been associated with central nervous system infections in immunocompromised patients, albeit infrequently. We describe a case-patient in Minnesota, USA, who had meningeal symptoms of 1 month duration. B. miyamotoi infection was diagnosed by Gram staining on cerebrospinal fluid and confirmed by sequencing.

We report the effect of a rodent control program on the incidence of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic region of Iran. A 1-year interruption in rodent control led to 2 years of increased incidence of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis. Restarting rodent control led to a decline of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis.

We calculated attack rates for household contacts of COVID-19 patients during the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2-dominant period in Japan. Attack rates among household contacts without recent (<3 months) vaccination was lower for contacts of index patients with complete vaccination than for contacts of index patients without complete vaccination, demonstrating indirect vaccine effectiveness.

We analyzed West Nile Virus (WNV) exposure from 1,222 blood donors during 2017-2018 from an area of south-central Spain. Results revealed WNV seroprevalence of 0.08% (95% CI 0.004%-0.4%) in this population. Our findings underscore the need for continued surveillance and research to manage WNV infection in this region.