The current COVID‐19 global pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) of probable bat origin, has highlighted the ongoing need for a One Health response to emerging zoonotic disease events. Understanding the human–animal interface and its relevance to disease transmission remains a critical control point for many emerging zoonoses. Determination of the susceptibility of various animal species to infection with SARS‐CoV‐2 and the role of animals in the epidemiology of the disease will be critical to informing appropriate human and veterinary public health responses to this pandemic. A scoping literature review was conducted to collect, evaluate and present the available research evidence regarding SARS‐CoV‐2 infections in animals. Experimental studies have successfully demonstrated SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and transmission in cats, ferrets, hamsters, bats and non‐human primates under experimental settings. Dogs appear to have limited susceptibility to SARS‐CoV‐2, while other domestic species including pigs and poultry do not appear susceptible. Naturally occurring SARS‐CoV‐2 infections in animals appear uncommon, with 14 pets, 8 captive big cats and an unreported number of farmed mink testing positive at the time of writing (early July 2020). Infections typically appear asymptomatic in dogs, while clinical signs of respiratory and/or gastrointestinal disease tend to be mild to moderate in felines, and severe to fatal in mink. Most animals are presumed to have been infected by close contact with COVID‐19 patients. In domestic settings, viral transmission is self‐limiting; however in high‐density animal environments, there can be sustained between‐animal transmission. To date, two potential cases of animal‐to‐human transmission are being investigated, on infected mink farms. Given the millions of COVID‐19 cases worldwide and ongoing potential for further zoonotic and anthroponotic viral transmission, further research and surveillance activities are needed to definitively determine the role of animals in community transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2.

Taenia solium is a neglected zoonotic parasite. The performances of existing tools for the diagnosis of porcine cysticercosis need further assessment, and their shortcomings call for alternatives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of tongue palpation and circulating antigen detection for the detection of porcine cysticercosis in naturally infected pigs of slaughter age compared to full carcass dissections (considered the gold standard). Additionally, alternative postmortem dissection procedures were investigated. A total of 68 rural pigs of slaughter age randomly selected in the Eastern Province of Zambia were dissected. Dissections were conducted on full carcasses (or half carcass in case cysticerci were already detected in the first half), including all the organs. Total cysticercus counts, location and stages were recorded and collected cysticerci were identified morphologically and molecularly. All sera were analysed with the B158/B60 antigen detecting ELISA (Ag-ELISA). Key findings were the high occurrence of T. solium infected pigs (56%) and the presence of T. solium cysticerci in the livers of 26% of infected animals. More than half of the infected carcasses contained viable cysticerci. Seven carcasses had T. hydatigena cysticerci (10%), out of which five carcasses were co-infected with T. hydatigena and T. solium; two carcasses (3%) had only T. hydatigena cysticerci. Compared to full carcass dissection, the specificity of the Ag-ELISA to detect infected carcasses was estimated at 67%, the sensitivity at 68%, increasing to 90% and 100% for the detection of carcasses with one or more viable cysticerci, and more than 10 viable cysts, respectively. Tongue palpation only detected 10% of the cases, half carcass dissection 84%. Selective dissection of the diaphragm, tongue and heart or masseters can be considered, with an estimated sensitivity of 71%, increasing to 86% in carcasses with more than 10 cysticerci. Depending on the aim of the diagnosis, a combination of Ag-ELISA and selective dissection, including investigating the presence of T. hydatigena, can be considered. Full carcass dissection should include the dissection of the liver, kidneys, spleen and lungs, and results should be interpreted carefully, as small cysticerci can easily be overlooked.

Remote and rural communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are disproportionately affected by infectious animal diseases due to their close contact with livestock and limited access to animal health personnel). However, animal disease surveillance and diagnosis in LMICs is often challenging, and turnaround times between sample submission and diagnosis can take days to weeks. This diagnostic gap and subsequent disease under-reporting can allow emerging and transboundary animal pathogens to spread, with potentially serious and far-reaching consequences. Point-of-care tests (POCTs), which allow for rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases in non-laboratory settings, have the potential to significantly disrupt traditional animal health surveillance paradigms in LMICs. This literature review sought to identify POCTs currently available for diagnosing infectious animal diseases and to determine facilitators and barriers to their use and uptake in LMICs. Results indicated that some veterinary POCTs have been used for field-based animal disease diagnosis in LMICs with good results. However, many POCTs target a small number of key agricultural and zoonotic animal diseases, while few exist for other important animal diseases. POCT evaluation is rarely taken beyond the laboratory and into the field where they are predicted to have the greatest impact, and where conditions can greatly affect test performance. A lack of mandated test validation regulations for veterinary POCTs has allowed tests of varying quality to enter the market, presenting challenges for potential customers. The use of substandard, improperly validated or unsuitable POCTs in LMICs can greatly undermine their true potential and can have far-reaching negative impacts on disease control. To successfully implement novel rapid diagnostic pathways for animal disease in LMICs, technical, regulatory, socio-political and economic challenges must be overcome, and further research is urgently needed before the potential of animal disease POCTs can be fully realized.

The Taenia solium cysticercosis-taeniasis complex is a Neglected Tropical Disease of significant public health importance in many impoverished communities worldwide. The parasite is suspected to be endemic in Lao PDR as a result of widespread risk factors including open human defecation, free ranging pigs and weak systems for meat inspection and carcass condemnation. Reported prevalences of human taeniasis throughout the country have ranged from 0-14%, although few of these have definitively diagnosed T. solium, grossly indistinguishable from Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm) and Taenia asiatica. This short communication details the suspicion of a hyper endemic “hotspot” of T. solium in a remote Tai Dam village in northern Lao PDR.

In recent years reported cases of Buruli ulcer, caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, have increased substantially in Victoria, Australia, with the epidemic also expanding geographically. To develop an understanding of how M. ulcerans circulates in the environment and transmits to humans we analyzed environmental samples collected from 115 properties of recent Buruli ulcer cases and from 115 postcode-matched control properties, for the presence of M. ulcerans. Environmental factors associated with increased odds of M. ulcerans presence at a property included certain native plant species and native vegetation in general, more alkaline soil, lower altitude, the presence of common ringtail possums (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) and overhead powerlines. However, only overhead powerlines and the absence of the native plant Melaleuca lanceolata were associated with Buruli ulcer case properties. Samples positive for M. ulcerans were more likely to be found at case properties and were associated with detections of M. ulcerans in ringtail possum feces, supporting the hypothesis that M. ulcerans is zoonotic, with ringtail possums the strongest reservoir host candidate. However, the disparity in environmental risk factors associated with M. ulcerans positive properties versus case properties indicates the involvement of human behavior or the influence of other environmental factors in disease acquisition that requires further study.

Objective: The zoonotic helminth Taenia solium is endemic in Zambia, causing human (taeniasis and (neuro)cysticercosis) and pig (porcine cysticercosis) diseases with high health, social and economic burdens. We aimed to evaluate the impact of a health educational program intended to lead to powerful and cumulative improvements in knowledge, attitudes and practices that decrease parasite transmission and disease occurrence.Methods: Half‐day health education workshops were conducted in three primary schools in the highly endemic Eastern Province of Zambia, using the computer‐based T. solium educational program ‘The Vicious Worm’. Questionnaires were administered before and after the educational component to determine the program's impact on knowledge uptake in primary school students.Results: In total, 99 students participated: 38 males and 61 females, with a median age of 14 years (range 10–18 years). Baseline general knowledge of T. solium, including awareness of the different human and pig disease states, and disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention, was quite high (average score 62%) and consistent across all three study areas. Participants’ knowledge had significantly increased after the educational component, particularly regarding parasite transmission and disease prevention.Conclusion: Preliminary assessment of ‘The Vicious Worm’ indicates it is an effective tool for the short‐term T. solium education of primary school students in Zambia. Follow‐up studies are planned to assess the longer term impact of the program on knowledge uptake in the study neighbourhoods. Inclusion of tailored ‘The Vicious Worm’ educational workshops should be considered in integrated cysticercosis control programs in endemic areas of sub‐Saharan Africa.