Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV‐2) is a highly contagious viral disease with three variants (CPV‐2a, CPV‐2b and CPV‐2c) currently circulating in dogs worldwide. The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalent CPV‐2 variant in faecal samples from 53 dogs presenting with acute gastroenteritis suspected to be and consistent with CPV‐2 to Nigerian Veterinary Clinics in 2013–2014. Seventy‐five per cent of these dogs tested positive for CPV‐2 in a commercial antigen test and/or by PCR. Partial sequencing of the VP2 gene of six of these demonstrated them to be CPV‐2a. Most of the dogs (60 per cent) were vaccinated, with 74 per cent of them puppies less than six months old.

Horseshoe bats are the natural hosts of the Sarbecovirus subgenus that includes SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV- 2. Despite the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still little known about the underlying epidemiology and virology of sarbecoviruses in their natural hosts, leaving large gaps in our pandemic preparedness. Here we describe the results of PCR testing for sarbecoviruses in the two horseshoe bat species (Rhinolophus hipposideros and R. ferrumequinum) present in Great Britain, collected in 2021–22 during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic. One hundred and ninety seven R. hipposideros samples from 33 roost sites and 277 R. ferrumequinum samples from 20 roost sites were tested. No coronaviruses were detected in any samples from R. ferrumequinum whereas 44 and 56 % of individual and pooled (respectively) faecal samples from R. hipposideros across multiple roost sites tested positive in a sarbecovirus-specific qPCR. Full genome sequences were generated from three of the positive samples (and partial genomes from two more) using Illumina RNAseq on unenriched samples. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the obtained sequences belong to the same monophyletic clade, with >95 % similarity to previously-reported European isolates from R. hipposideros. The sequences differed in the presence or absence of accessory genes ORF 7b, 9b and 10. All lacked the furin cleavage site of SARS-CoV-2 spike gene and are therefore unlikely to be infective for humans. These results demonstrate a lack, or at least low incidence, of SARS-CoV-2 spill over from humans to susceptible GB bats, and confirm that sarbecovirus infection is widespread in R. hipposideros. Despite frequently sharing roost sites with R. ferrumequinum, no evidence of cross-species transmission was found.

In Nigeria, knowledge on the epidemiology of diseases of dogs is limited. A retrospective study of data from clinical records of six veterinary clinics was undertaken to determine the incidence of disease in owned dogs in Delta State, Nigeria from 2012 to 2014. Association between the diagnosed diseases and the studied variables was explored using Chi-Squared test statistics. This study revealed that most of the conditions presented to the veterinary clinics were preventable. Thirty-one (31) clinical conditions were diagnosed from 571 cases recorded, involving nonspecific (21.6%), infectious (70.9%; P=0.001) and non-infectious (7.5%) diseases. The most occurring clinical conditions comprised helminthoses (21.4%), mange (10.5%), parvovirosis (8.4%), babesiosis (7.9%), septicemia (7.2%), gastroenteritis (7.0%), myiasis (7.0%), trauma (6.3%), poisoning (6.0%), ectoparasitism (3.7%), ascites (2.5%), dermatitis (2.3%), aural hematoma (1.2%), and orchitis (1.1%). Disease incidence was highest in Alsatian (40.3%), mixed/cross (33.1%), Rottweiler (7.0%) and toy breeds (4.6%). Details on the least occurring diseases and the association between disease and the studied variables are given. The outcomes demonstrate the prevalence of the clinical conditions diagnosed, inadequate husbandry and veterinary care accorded to owned dogs in the State. Education of dog owners on preventive measures is paramount in alleviating some of these health problems

In recent times, many zoonotic diseases have emerged with serious negative consequences on humans. In the light of this, ante-mortem inspections were conducted, using body condition scoring to assess the health status of livestock presenting for slaughter, and to identify issues relating to meat inspection in four purposively selected government approved abattoirs in Benue State, Nigeria. The result of our assessment showed that 5.0% of the cattle and goats presented for slaughter during the investigation period were highly emaciated animals with a prevalence range of 0.0–12.1% with variance between abattoirs, whereas 37.9% were moderately emaciated and 57.2% had good body condition. Extreme emaciation was higher in cattle (6.7%) compared to the goats (3.2%). The moderately high prevalence of emaciated animals intended for human consumption coupled with unorganized and inappropriate meat inspection in the studied abattoirs has serious public health implications. To prevent consumers from contacting zoonotic diseases, education of butchers and traders is necessary for thorough and effective inspections. In addition, animal traders should be encouraged to seek veterinary assistance for their sick animals. Meat inspectors should treat all emaciated animals as suspects, as emaciation could be a cause from underlying health problems.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum (A. phagocytophilum) is the aetiological agent of tick-borne fever in cattle and sheep, and granulocytic anaplasmosis in human and dogs. Livestock, companion animal and human infections with A. phagocytophilum have been reported globally. Across England and Wales, two isolates (called ecotypes) have been reported in ticks. This study examined A. phagocytophilum isolates present in livestock and wildlife in Great Britain (GB), with a particular focus on cattle. Clinical submissions (EDTA blood) from cattle (n = 21) and sheep (n = 3) were received by APHA for tick-borne disease testing and the animals were confirmed to be infected with A. phagocytophilum using a PCR targeting the Msp2 gene. Further submissions from roe deer (n = 2), red deer (n = 2) and Ixodes ricinus ticks (n = 22) were also shown to be infected with A. phagocytophilum. Subsequent analysis using a nested PCR targeting the groEL gene and sequencing confirmed the presence of ecotype I in cattle, sheep, red deer and Ixodes ricinus, and ecotype II in roe deer and I. ricinus removed from deer carcasses. Despite the presence of two ecotypes, widely distributed in ticks from England and Wales, only ecotype I was detected in cattle in this study.

Dog population and ecology in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) main campus and Bomo village, Kaduna state, Nigeria