What are you looking for?
Category: Outbreaks & Epidemiology ×
H5N1 Avian Influenza: 70 Human Cases in the United States, Including One Death, Linked to Dairy Cattle
The H5N1 virus is no longer confined to birds. In the United States, farmworkers have been infected after direct contact with infected dairy cows. A new study highlights this co...
Cats and COVID-19: More Frequent Exposure Than Expected
A study conducted between November 2021 and March 2022 in the Lisbon region (Portugal) reveals that nearly one-third of cats living in households where at least one person teste...
COVID-19: Nearly One in Two Cats Exposed to the Coronavirus in Peru
A study conducted in Lima, Peru, reveals that a surprisingly high proportion of domestic cats were exposed to SARS-CoV-2 during the first wave of the pandemic. Published in *Fro...
H5N1 Influenza: An Avian Influenza Virus Transmissible Through the Air Among Mammals
An article in the journal *Nature* describes the mode of transmission of influenza A (H5N1) and how the virus spreads through the air. The researchers used devices to collect vi...
Bluetongue (Ovine Catarrhal Fever): What You Need to Know
Since early August, bluetongue (BT) has been spreading across 10 departments in northeastern France. BT, also known as “bluetongue,” primarily affects sheep and ewes. The Minist...
Avian Influenza in Cats: What You Need to Know
An article from the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) reports that six cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) caused by the H5N1 virus were diagnosed in...
Mpox: Monkeypox Virus DNA Detected in Pets in the United States
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tested for the presence of pox virus DNA in pets living with patients infected with pox in the United States. The CDC r...
The West Nile virus is transmitted from mosquito to mosquito through their feces
The West Nile virus persists within Culex mosquito populations through the infectious feces they produce, without the need to infect intermediate vertebrate hosts. The discovery...
COVID-19: SARS-CoV-2 Infection Causes Neurodegeneration in Dogs and Humans
A Korean study shows that the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 can infect dogs and cause cellular damage in the brain and lungs, even in the absence of neurological or respiratory cl...
COVID-19: White-tailed deer, a potential new reservoir for SARS-CoV-2
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the white-tailed deer has drawn the attention of scientists, who view it as a major factor in the spread of the coronavirus worldwide....
Avian influenza: A new subtype may facilitate airborne transmission of the H3N8 influenza virus to mammals
Researchers at the University of Nottingham have discovered a subtype of the H3N8 avian influenza virus—which is endemic in poultry farms in China—that has undergone enough gene...
COVID-19: Cats May Play an Important Role in the Transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus
A study by the American Society for Microbiology reveals that cats are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, that they can transmit the virus to other cats, and that they also en...
HPAI: What are the effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza on canids?
On March 29, 2022, a large-scale die-off of crows in a public park in Sapporo, in northern Japan, caught the attention of scientists, especially since a red fox and a Japanese r...
COVID-19 Screening: Sniffer Dogs Achieve Excellent Results in Real-World Settings
What politician or event organizer hasn’t dreamed of being able to test groups of people in real time? Scientists are publishing their findings on efforts to detect the COVID-19...
On the Trail of the Origin of COVID-19
While the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus) continues to circulate and claim lives around the world, its origin remains unknown. Each scientific community puts forward its...
West Nile virus reported for the first time in Lebanon
The West Nile virus has never been detected in Lebanon. However, the country is located along the migratory route of birds traveling to and from the Middle East. Serological scr...
Avian Influenza: Proactive Surveillance Under the “One Health” Framework
The recent avian influenza outbreak that ravaged India in late 2020 and early 2021 was marked by high infection and mortality rates among wild birds. Every affected region of th...
Stray animals are also at risk from COVID-19
While many studies have focused on exposure to SARS-CoV-2 among pets and farm animals, the risk to stray animals has been much less thoroughly assessed. However, researchers hav...
In Brazil, 31% of dogs and 40% of cats tested positive for COVID-19
With more than 9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, Brazil is one of the countries hardest hit by the novel coronavirus. Researchers therefore set out to assess the pandemic’s...
Equine rhinopneumonitis: The Reality of the Epizootic in France and Europe
Herpesvirus type 1 is causing concern in the equestrian world. After an international show jumping competition held in Valencia, Spain, in late January, hundreds of horses retur...
Avian Influenza: How Can We Predict Future Outbreaks?
In Europe, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza among wild birds and farmed poultry are, unfortunately, no longer rare. An epidemiological, ecological, and evolutionar...
COVID-19: One Year Later, What Do We Know About the Virus’s Origin?
One year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, theories about the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus continue to abound. Researchers have still not identified the intermediate h...
COVID-19: Understanding the Infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in Humans and Animals
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has spread like wildfire among human populations around the world. But at the same time, certain animal species have also proven susceptible t...
COVID-19: Why Some Animals Are More Susceptible Than Others
3D modeling of the protein receptors that allow SARS-CoV-2 to enter various animal cells has revealed unique structural features that are necessary for infection. This knowledge...
Avian Influenza: Why Quarantine Poultry?
A highly infectious health hazard, H5N8 avian influenza has reached Europe and has been a cause for concern ever since. Responsible for significant mortality among domestic and...
Coronaviruses Related to SARS-CoV-2 Discovered in Japan and Cambodia
The viruses, both isolated from bats stored in a laboratory’s freezers, are the first relatives of SARS-CoV-2 to be found outside of China. Research on them sheds light on the o...
COVID-19: Detection of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus at a mink farm in France
The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed today that a mink farm in Eure-et-Loir has been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. This detection is part of the biosecurity program...
COVID-19 Update from ANSES: Wild and Domestic Animals Are Not a Cause for Concern in France
Following an initial report published in April 2020 on the potential transmission of COVID-19 through domestic animals, ANSES reaffirms, in light of new data, that domestic and...
COVID-19: Marine Animals Threatened by Wastewater
After a study revealed that certain marine animals—particularly whales and seals—are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, researchers are concerned about cross-contamination from was...
COVID-19: Why Is the Virus Transmitted Through Mink More Dangerous?
Denmark, the world’s leading mink farm producer, is preparing to cull all 17 million animals raised within its borders. The reason is a new COVID-19 variant that is believed to...
COVID-19 and One Welfare: Are Pets an Obstacle to Medical Care in Times of Crisis?
Pets are very popular in France. Half of all households have a furry, feathered, or scaly pet, and these numbers are expected to rise following the social isolation imposed by t...
COVID-19 Update: Animals at Risk
According to new modeling, 26 animals that are in regular contact with humans may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in...
West Nile Fever: The Spread of This Zoonosis in Europe
As temperatures rise in Europe, disease-carrying mosquitoes are becoming established, bringing with them new diseases. West Nile fever is one such disease. This zoonosis is now...
COVID-19: Are Cats and Dogs Affected by the Second Wave?
This is nothing new: COVID-19 cases among humans have been steadily rising in France for several weeks now. While measures against the virus remain strict, questions are being r...
COVID-19: At-Risk Groups Identified
A genomics analysis of the ACE2 receptor reveals that many animal species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Humans are therefore far from being the only ones threatened b...
Cetaceans: Guardians of Marine Ecosystems
Anthropogenic toxic substances accumulate in marine ecosystems and their inhabitants. Cetaceans, which are particularly affected, can therefore be used to monitor anthropogenic...
100 Years of African Swine Fever: A Risk That Is More Present Than Ever
While the COVID-19 pandemic rages around the world, another, far deadlier one remains in the shadows. African swine fever, which has existed for over 100 years, kills millions o...
Marine pandemics fly under the radar
While infectious disease outbreaks are generally understudied in marine mammals compared to their terrestrial counterparts, a new study points to certain environmental factors a...
COVID-19: From humans to animals and then back to humans
Although the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is a zoonotic disease—that is, one of animal origin—it currently infects only humans, with the exception of a few rare cases. But scien...
A deadly virus is threatening American rabbit populations
A new strain of the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus is spreading throughout the southwestern United States. This deadly disease is wreaking havoc on populations of both common...
COVID-19: What Hamsters Have to Say About Wearing Masks
Hamsters, which are naturally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, have been used to test the effectiveness of masks in combating the spread of the novel coronavirus. Fifteen years ago, r...
COVID-19 and Animals: Zoonotic Risk and Implications for Food Safety
Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which caused the COVID-19 pandemic, several animal species have already tested positive, including cats, dogs, and big...
COVID-19 and Cats: A New Study Supports Transmission Among Cats
A new study confirms that cats can be infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, and that the virus can be transmitted between cats. However, these experiment...
COVID-19: What if the solution came from these animals that have crossed the species barrier?
A study proposes a new strategy for dealing with infection by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Why not compare how the immune systems of several animal species respond to the...
The Role of Veterinary Laboratories in COVID-19 Serological Screening
Veterinary laboratories are stepping up their efforts in the fight against COVID-19, notably by offering PCR screening tests since April 5. The French Veterinary Academy is also...
COVID-19: Can research on coronaviruses in animals shed light on how to manage the current situation?
Although COVID-19 did not emerge until late 2019, coronaviruses have been a source of suffering for animals throughout history. Veterinarians have been working for years to find...
Horses: Equine Plague Runs Rampant in Thailand
While Thailand is already battling the spread of the coronavirus, it is also facing another deadly viral outbreak among horses—African horse sickness. Some scientists suspect th...
How is the COVID-19 lockdown affecting wildlife?
When the cat's away, the mice will play … or Or rather, should we say, when humans are confined, wildlife is thriving? The lockdown measures implemented in response to the pande...