Snakebite envenoming is a life-threatening disease in humans and animals and a major public health issue in rural communities of South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the impact of snakebite on domestic animals has been poorly studied. This study aimed to describe the context, clinical features, treatment, and outcomes of snakebite envenoming in domestic animals in Nepal and Cameroon. Primary data on snakebite in animals were recorded from a community-based nation-wide survey on human and animal snakebite in Nepal and Cameroon (Snake-byte project). Mobile teams collected data on snakebite in humans and animals in 13,879 and 10,798 households in Nepal and Cameroon respectively from December 2018 to June 2019. This study included 405 snakebite cases (73 in Nepal and 332 in Cameroon) in multiple types of animals. An interview with a structured questionnaire collected specific information about the animal victims.

Samples collected from two avian influenza outbreaks in Bagmati Province in central Nepal between January and March 2023 were positive for H5N1. Full genomes were generated for both viruses, which revealed that one of the viruses was very similar to clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 identified in Bangladesh in 2021/2022. The second virus was a reassortant H5N1 virus consisting of four genes (HA, NA, NP, and M) originating from a clade 2.3.2.1a H5N1 and the remaining four genes (NS, PB1, PB2, and PA) originating from a 2.3.4.4b H5N1. Notably, this second virus had a high identity with 2.3.2.1a clade viruses identified in humans and cats in India in 2024–2025. These are the first full genome sequences of H5N1 avian influenza viruses from Nepal and given the recent human infections by 2.3.2.1a H5N1 viruses in the region, these data will be of interest to both public health and veterinary authorities.

Babesia and Theileria species are tick-borne protozoan parasites that cause piroplasmosis in cattle, a disease associated with substantial economic losses in the cattle industry. This study aimed to detect piroplasmid infections in cattle in Nepal, using microscopic and molecular methods. Eighty blood samples were collected from cattle herds at Jiri, Nepal. Blood smears were examined microscopically for the presence of piroplasmids, and samples were assayed using nested PCR (nPCR) targeting the 18 S rRNA gene. All nPCR positive samples underwent direct sequencing and representative positive samples were further analyzed through cloning and sequencing. Selected blood samples were used for hematological analysis; and microscopic examination revealed 23.8% (19/80) positivity for piroplasmids, whereas corresponding nPCR detected 77.5% (62/80) positive samples. Direct sequencing identified infections with Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, and with Theileria annulata and T. orientalis. Of 27 selected samples subjected to cloning and sequencing, 23 (85.2%) represented single infections, 3 (11.1%) were mixed infections containing both B. bovis and B. bigemina, while a single sample (0.04%) revealed the presence of Colpoda, a free-living protozoan. Phylogenetic analysis showed that most of the detected sequences clustered into species-specific clades, although one sample formed a distinct branch from the nearby B. bovis clade. There was no significant correlation between the presence of blood parasites and alterations of hematological parameters. This study highlights the importance of combining microscopic and molecular methods for the detection of piroplasmids and provides crucial baseline data on the prevalence and diversity of these parasites in cattle herds in Nepal.