Disease In Wild Animals Research Articles

Soil Mediated Helminthiasis: A Study on Neglected Tropical Disease in Wild Animals in Haryana

Background: Soil mediated/ transmitted helminthiasis (STH/SMH) is a neglected tropical disease and includes Ascarids, Trichuris and Hookworms, which prominently affects population living either in the low sanitary condition or in close proximity with the animals. Recent years have witnessed elevation in the Trichuris infection, with India ranking first globally. Variety of factors including low sanitation, close contact with animals, increased man and wild conflict contribute towards STH. However, co-relation of STH/SMH infection from wildlife have not been studied. Methods: The study was conducted for a period of 1 year from August, 2021 to September, 2022. Trichuris infection was present in 72 out of 131 carcasses of wild animals with prevalence rate of 35%. The prevalence percentage of Trichuris infection in different sub categories of wild animals was calculated. Seasonal prevalence rate was calculated with increased cases reported in summer season followed by monsoon. Additionally, fecal samples, worms and intestinal samples for further studies were collected. Result: Wild animals act as bridge for transmission of various zoonotic diseases. However, zoonotic potential of parasitic diseases are neglected in wild animals with no systematic literature. Based on our study we illustrate that wild animals hold considerate potential plausibly demonstrating an iceberg phenomenon. Wildlife is an essential component in the epidemiology of many, if not most, zoonoses, wildlife should be taken into account in the risk analysis framework.

Evaluation of commercial ELISA kits’ diagnostic specificity for FAST diseases in wild animals

Evaluation of commercial ELISA kits’ diagnostic specificity for FAST diseases in wild animals

Parasites in Wildlife in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract Parasitic diseases of wild animals represent an important area of research. In addition to the significant impact on wildlife health and fitness, many parasitic diseases have zoonotic implications. Due to limited scientific information, this research aimed to investigate parasitic diseases in wildlife in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), focusing on the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H), emphasizing zoonotic species. In the period from April 2020 to November 2022, we conducted research on 9 wildlife species. We analyzed fecal samples to detect and identify diagnostic stages (eggs, larvae, cysts, and oocysts) of various animal endoparasites using coprological methods, such as sedimentation, flotation, and the Baermann technique. The MERIFLUOR® Cryptosporidium/Giardia test was also used for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts. In the case of red foxes, intestinal samples were examined using the intestinal scraping technique to detect adult helminths. All collected muscle samples were subjected to the artificial digestion method for Trichinella detection. From 1,278 samples, 70.9% were positive. Parasitic infections were confirmed in 15.9% (11/69) of bears; 83.7% (262/313) of red foxes; 67.6% (44/65) of wolves; 25% (1/4) of wildcats; 20% (1/5) of badger; 43.7% (7/16) of martens; 39.7% (76/191) of wild boars; 84.5% (350/414) of deer, and 77.1% (155/201) of hares. The finding of zoonotic parasites (Toxocara canis, Uncinaria spp., Trichinella spp., Echinococcus spp. etc.) is particularly important due to their potential detrimental effects on human health, which highlights the need for further investigations.

A web-based geographic information system monitoring wildlife diseases in Abruzzo and Molise regions, Southern Italy

BackgroundNowadays there is a worldwide consensus on the importance of conducting wildlife disease surveillance. Indeed, 60% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in nature, and the majority of these (71.8%) originate in wildlife. Surveillance of wildlife diseases is crucial to prevent negative effects on human and animal health. Data digitization and sharing are among the main goals for the present and coming years. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are increasingly used to analyze the geographical distribution of diseases and the relationships between pathogenic factors and their geographic environments.MethodsWild animal’s samples collected in the Abruzzo and Molise regions and delivered to our laboratory are entered in our Laboratory Information System and processed to be displayed through the Web-GIS mash-up presented in this paper. We built it using both open source and proprietary solutions, to produce data driven interactive maps, charts and tables to help to understand the epidemiology of wild animal diseases, their spread and trend.ResultsSince 2013, 9.606 samples collected from wild animals have been analyzed in the laboratories of the IZS-Teramo and have been recorded in the system, facilitating the reporting to the judicial authorities and the identification of highly risky areas to set up control and repression measures. Moreover, thanks to the monitoring health protocol, a canine distemper epidemic in wolves has been detected and monitored in its temporal and spatial evolution, as well as cases of bovine tuberculosis in wild boars.ConclusionsWhile it is more evident that the starting point is to choose the right sampling method, it is for sure less obvious that the information system in which data is stored is equally important. In fact, it should give the possibility to consult it in an easy and instructive way. GIS allows immediately grasping the spatial relationships between the data itself and those between the data and the territory; it is an important tool to support veterinary services in managing epidemic and non-epidemic emergencies and performing epidemiological investigations, but also to examine control plans and identify new gaps and challenges.

Effect of epidemic diseases on wild animal conservation.

Under the background of global species extinction, the impact of epidemic diseases on wild animal protection is increasingly prominent. Here, we review and synthesize the literature on this topic, and discuss the relationship between diseases and biodiversity. Diseases usually reduce species diversity by decreasing or extinction of species populations, but also accelerate species evolution and promote species diversity. At the same time, species diversity can regulate disease outbreaks through dilution or amplification effects. The synergistic effect of human activities and global change is emphasized, which further aggravates the complex relationship between biodiversity and diseases. Finally, we emphasize the importance of active surveillance of wild animal diseases, which can protect wild animals from potential diseases, maintain population size and genetic variation, and reduce the damage of diseases to the balance of the whole ecosystem and human health. Therefore, we suggest that a background survey of wild animal populations and their pathogens should be carried out to assess the impact of potential outbreaks on the population or species level. The mechanism of dilution and amplification effect between species diversity and diseases of wild animals should be further studied to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for human intervention measures to change biodiversity. Most importantly, we should closely combine the protection of wild animals with the establishment of an active surveillance, prevention, and control system for wild animal epidemics, in an effort to achieve a win-win situation between wild animal protection and disease control.

Cardiac hypertrophy associated with Corynebacterium spp. in Didelphis albiventris cubs

The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the clinical-pathological aspects of cardiac hypertrophy related to the presence of Corynebacterium spp. in three Didelphis albiventris cubs. In necropsy, macroscopically, in the heart, cardiomegaly, concentric hypertrophy of the ventricles and the ventricular septum were observed, with consequent reduction of the chamber. Microscopically, the primary lesions found in the heart were cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and necrosis, myocytolysis, and the presence of myriad basophilic bacteria. Liver fragments and endocardial swabs were sent for bacterial culture, in which pleomorphic Gram-positive rods grew, forming small and hemolytic colonies. Chemical tests demonstrated characteristics compatible with Corynebacterium spp. Thus, this report represents the first description of cardiac hypertrophy associated with Corynebacterium spp. in white-eared opossums cubs, representing an essential contribution to studying diseases in wild animals.

Key role of the local veterinary administration in combating infectious diseases of wild animals: New duties vs. old habits in the context of the Animal Health Law

Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the field of animal health, ‘Animal Health Law’, changed the rules for combating infectious diseases of animals, in particular of non-domesticated species. An in-depth legal research by the authors revealed certain features of combat against transmissible diseases in wild animals. New normative regulations are presented, confronted, and evaluated. The authors conclude that the European law has changed the content of national statutes, although their literal wording has remained unchanged. Different definitions and designations of veterinary surgeons in the Animal Health Law are discussed. An algorithm of conduct aimed at the uniformity of the work of public veterinary administration is presented. New duties and the need for high legal competences of the District Veterinary Officer are discussed. The effectiveness and consistency of the regulations are assessed. Interpretational and legislative postulates are indicated.

ИЗУЧЕНИЕ КИШЕЧНОГО МИКРОБИОМА СИБИРСКОЙ КОСУЛИ

The fauna of Yakutia is rich and diverse, but the epizootic situation of the republic with regard to infectious diseases of wild animals remains poorly studied. There are practically no reports in the literature on the study of the microbiota of wild ungulates of the Arctic and Subarctic. The study of the microbiome of wild animals is not only relevant but also informative research, as the microbiota is a sensitive indicator that responds to many factors of the external and internal environment of the body. The aim is to study the microbiome of wild animals in the Arctic and Subarctic zones of Russia. The article presents the results of the study of the intestinal microbiota of Siberian roe deer. The biological material (thin and thick sections of the intestine (lumen and wall microbiota)) was studied. The generally accepted dilution method was used for quantitative counting of microorganisms. Analysis of the results showed that in the studied Siberian roe deer (43 heads), aerobic bacilli of the genus Bacillus dominate in the normal microbiota (wall and lumen) up to 88–100% (respectively), the main representatives of the intestinal normoflora are significantly inferior to them are: bifidobacteria (61.3–68.1%), lactobacilli (36.3–63.6%), enterococci (59–66%), and lactosepositive escherichia (54.5–59%). Quantitatively, the intestinal microbiocenosis of roe deer showed 135 a comparatively high number of bacilli – up to 104 CFU/g, the number of lactobacilli, enterococci and lactose-positive escherichia was much less, and bifidobacteria were registered in a significantly low amount – up to 101 CFU/g. Examination of material taken from the carcasses of dead roe deer revealed the absence of representatives of normal microflora, except for lactose-positive escherichia, which were found in the wall contents. Microbiological examination of the post-mortem material (parenchymal organs and intestines) revealed potential enteropathogens – lactose-negative escherichia, which, were further identified as Salmonella abortus equi, with high virulence to laboratory animals. The conducted studies showed pronounced intestinal dysbiosis in fallen roe deer, which is characterised by the absence of the main representatives of normal microflora along with the predominance of a large number of potential enteropathogens up to 104 CFU/g. The presence of a highly virulent causative agent of salmonellosis in the intestinal microbiota of roe deer indicates their etiological role in the cause of animal deaths. Thus, summarizing the results of the conducted studies, it can be concluded that aerobic bacilli of the genus Bacillus dominate in the intestinal microbiota of the Siberian roe deer and they have the main protective function against pathogenic microorganisms.

Potential Facilitation Between a Commensal and a Pathogenic Microbe in a Wildlife Disease.

We assessed the potential for microbial interactions influencing a well-documented host-pathogen system. Mycoplasma agassizii is the known etiological agent of upper respiratory tract disease in Mojave desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), but disease in wild animals is extremely heterogeneous. For example, a much larger proportion of animals harbor M. agassizii than those that develop disease. With the availability of a new quantitative PCR assay for a microbe that had previously been implicated in disease, Pasteurella testudinis, we tested 389 previously collected samples of nasal microbes from tortoise populations across the Mojave desert. We showed that P. testudinis is a common commensal microbe. However, we did find that its presence was associated with higher levels of M. agassizii among the tortoises positive for this pathogen. The best predictor of P. testudinis prevalence in tortoise populations was average size of tortoises, suggesting that older populations have higher levels of P. testudinis. The prevalence of co-infection in populations was associated with the prevalence of URTD, providing additional evidence for an indirect interaction between the two microbes and inflammatory disease. We showed that URTD, like many chronic, polymicrobial diseases involving mucosal surfaces, shows patterns of a polymicrobial etiology.

Finding a suitable coat: The ecology of the invasive deer ked (Lipoptena cervi (Linnaeus, 1758); Diptera: Hippoboscidae), an ectoparasite of large mammals in the Czech Republic.

Some parasitic diseases of wild animals are transmissible to humans and cause health problems. A widespread ectoparasite of vertebrates is the deer ked, Lipoptena cervi ((L.); Diptera: Hippoboscidae). We studied the interaction of this parasite with habitat-related, host-related, and temporal factors in the Czech Republic. We analysed observations of its abundance in hunted wild animals in the context of their environment. Our results confirmed that cervids are a preferred host species. Most of the other relationships between ked abundance and the studied factors were probably due to the olfactory preferences of keds. Males and older individuals of the game host species were more attractive to the parasites for this reason. The higher abundance of keds at the beginning of the hunting season can be explained by their phenology. The deer ked can significantly affect the management of game species. We conclude that its preference for older male cervids is important for the future conditions of game animals. The population densities of deer keds in areas with high parasitization rates could thus be influenced by active game management.

High real-time reporting of domestic and wild animal diseases following rollout of mobile phone reporting system in Kenya.

BackgroundTo improve early detection of emerging infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), many of them zoonotic, numerous electronic animal disease-reporting systems have been piloted but not implemented because of cost, lack of user friendliness, and data insecurity. In Kenya, we developed and rolled out an open-source mobile phone-based domestic and wild animal disease reporting system and collected data over two years to investigate its robustness and ability to track disease trends.MethodsThe Kenya Animal Biosurveillance System (KABS) application was built on the Java® platform, freely downloadable for android compatible mobile phones, and supported by web-based account management, form editing and data monitoring. The application was integrated into the surveillance systems of Kenya’s domestic and wild animal sectors by adopting their existing data collection tools, and targeting disease syndromes prioritized by national, regional and international animal and human health agencies. Smartphone-owning government and private domestic and wild animal health officers were recruited and trained on the application, and reports received and analyzed by Kenya Directorate of Veterinary Services. The KABS application performed automatic basic analyses (frequencies, spatial distribution), which were immediately relayed to reporting officers as feedback.ResultsOf 697 trained domestic animal officers, 662 (95%) downloaded the application, and >72% of them started reporting using the application within three months. Introduction of the application resulted in 2- to 14-fold increase in number of disease reports when compared to the previous year (relative risk = 14, CI 13.8–14.2, p<0.001), and reports were more widely distributed. Among domestic animals, food animals (cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and chicken) accounted for >90% of the reports, with respiratory, gastrointestinal and skin diseases constituting >85% of the reports. Herbivore wildlife (zebra, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, antelopes) accounted for >60% of the wildlife disease reports, followed by carnivores (lions, cheetah, hyenas, jackals, and wild dogs). Deaths, traumatic injuries, and skin diseases were most reported in wildlife.ConclusionsThis open-source system was user friendly and secure, ideal for rolling out in other countries in SSA to improve disease reporting and enhance preparedness for epidemics of zoonotic diseases.

Recent advances in biomedical, biosensor and clinical measurement devices for use in humans and the potential application of these technologies for the study of physiology and disease in wild animals.

The goal of achieving enhanced diagnosis and continuous monitoring of human health has led to a vibrant, dynamic and well-funded field of research in medical sensing and biosensor technologies. The field has many sub-disciplines which focus on different aspects of sensor science; engaging engineers, chemists, biochemists and clinicians, often in interdisciplinary teams. The trends which dominate include the efforts to develop effective point of care tests and implantable/wearable technologies for early diagnosis and continuous monitoring. This review will outline the current state of the art in a number of relevant fields, including device engineering, chemistry, nanoscience and biomolecular detection, and suggest how these advances might be employed to develop effective systems for measuring physiology, detecting infection and monitoring biomarker status in wild animals. Special consideration is also given to the emerging threat of antimicrobial resistance and in the light of the current SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, zoonotic infections. Both of these areas involve significant crossover between animal and human health and are therefore well placed to seed technological developments with applicability to both human and animal health and, more generally, the reviewed technologies have significant potential to find use in the measurement of physiology in wild animals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part II)'.

Health monitoring in birds using bio-loggers and whole blood transcriptomics

Monitoring and early detection of emerging infectious diseases in wild animals is of crucial global importance, yet reliable ways to measure immune status and responses are lacking for animals in the wild. Here we assess the usefulness of bio-loggers for detecting disease outbreaks in free-living birds and confirm detailed responses using leukocyte composition and large-scale transcriptomics. We simulated natural infections by viral and bacterial pathogens in captive mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), an important natural vector for avian influenza virus. We show that body temperature, heart rate and leukocyte composition change reliably during an acute phase immune response. Using genome-wide gene expression profiling of whole blood across time points we confirm that immunostimulants activate pathogen-specific gene regulatory networks. By reporting immune response related changes in physiological and behavioural traits that can be studied in free-ranging populations, we provide baseline information with importance to the global monitoring of zoonotic diseases.

Visceral mycobacteriosis in amphibians from the Brazilian Caatinga region.

Emerging infectious diseases in wild animals related to humans have received greater attention in recent years. Mycobacteriosis is a bacterial disease of animal and human importance. Mycobacterium gordonae infects the skin and internal organs of free-ranging amphibians and is considered the least pathogenic member of the Mycobacteriaceae to humans. However, information about its infection and pathogenesis in wild amphibians is still lacking. A total of 1306 amphibian specimens belonging to 6 families, 12 genera, and 21 species were collected and dissected during a helminthological survey of 7 municipalities in southern Ceará state, Caatinga (eco)region, northeast Brazil. Of these, 17 specimens (0.76%), belonging to 2 families and 4 species (Leptodactylus macrosternum, n = 2; L. vastus, n = 10; Pseudopaludicola pocoto, n = 2; Rhinella jimi, n = 3), presented infections that consisted of calcification nodules in the coelomic cavity, kidney, liver, lung, gut, and pancreas. The nodules were examined by histopathology and PCR. The bacteria were identified as M. gordonae by molecular analyses. Infected animals presented with hepatocellular vacuolar degeneration, karyolysis, and karyorrhexis, hepatic portal congestion, hemorrhage, mononuclear cellular infiltration, melanomacrophage center hyperplasia, and granulomas in varying stages of development with intralesional acid-fast bacilli. This study is the first report of M. gordonae in these amphibian species, in which results of molecular analyses confirmed the presence of M. gordonae in natural environments and histopathology confirmed the typical lesion of mycobacteriosis in amphibians from northeastern Brazil.

Infectious disease and sickness behaviour: tumour progression affects interaction patterns and social network structure in wild Tasmanian devils.

Infectious diseases, including transmissible cancers, can have a broad range of impacts on host behaviour, particularly in the latter stages of disease progression. However, the difficulty of early diagnoses makes the study of behavioural influences of disease in wild animals a challenging task. Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are affected by a transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), in which tumours are externally visible as they progress. Using telemetry and mark-recapture datasets, we quantify the impacts of cancer progression on the behaviour of wild devils by assessing how interaction patterns within the social network of a population change with increasing tumour load. The progression of DFTD negatively influences devils' likelihood of interaction within their network. Infected devils were more active within their network late in the mating season, a pattern with repercussions for DFTD transmission. Our study provides a rare opportunity to quantify and understand the behavioural feedbacks of disease in wildlife and how they may affect transmission and population dynamics in general.

Wildlife conservation status and disease trends: ten years of reports to the Worldwide Monitoring System for Wild Animal Diseases.

Disease is an increasingly recognised threat to wild animal populations and the conservation of endangered species. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Worldwide Monitoring System for Wild Animal Diseases (WAHIS-Wild) serves as the main global information portal for wildlife disease events, compiled via voluntary reporting by countries on non-OIE-listed diseases. The first decade of reports to WAHIS-Wild were analysed to identify trends and examine their relevance for conservation. Between 2008 and 2018, a total of 4,229 wildlife disease events were reported, with the majority from the European continent. When standardised for nomenclature changes, 54 unique previous or current non-OIE-listed diseases were reported. The most common disease events (collectively representing > 50% of reports) were chemical poisoning (12.5% of events reported), infection with low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (11.9%), infection with Salmonella enterica (10.8%), infection with Pasteurella spp. (8.4%) and infection with Trichomonas spp. in birds and reptiles (7.5%). Reports indicated disease in 501 unique species, 19.2% of which are listed as endangered species based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, and 30.7% of which are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The findings suggest reporting gaps, including likely geographical area and other biases. More systematic reporting of wildlife disease and use of this information in biodiversity assessment and decision-making would result in better animal health and conservation coordination in a One Health context.

Seroprevalence of pathogenic Leptospira serovars in hunting dog in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Leptospirosis is an acute, subacute and chronical contagious disease of animals and humans. Causative agents of this disease belong to the genus Leptospira, family Leptospiraca. As a disease of wild animals, leptospirosis is widespread through Europe. Certain wild animals (rodents, fox and wild boars) are important reservoirs and highly probable vectors for the spread of infection into domestic animals and humans. During the hunting season, hunting dogs are often in direct or indirect contact with wild animals that could be carriers of this disease, and the possibility of appearance and spreading within this cohort of dogs is very high. The main reasons for this study on the prevalence of Leptospirosis in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the regular contact between hunting dogs and wild animals (carriers), and the lack of dataaboutLeptospirosisinhuntingdogs.In total, 175 serum samples from 15 towns of Bosnia and Herzegovina were tested. Twelve serovars of L. interrogans were used in the microscopic agglutination test. Presence of antibodies of four serovars was confirmed. Prevalence of seropositive dogs was 15.4% (27/175). Most positive dogs had a reaction to the Pomona serovar 51.8% (n=14), while the prevalence of the Sejroe serovar was 33.3%, Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar 11.1% and Bratislava serovar 3.7%. The highest number of positive reactions 55.5% (n=15) was with serum dilution of 1:200. This study showed that most infections in dogs were caused by serovars that are currently not included in commercial vaccines. One of the most efficient preventive measure could be vaccination with the serovars most often found in wild animals, as they appear to be the most common source of the infection.

Validation of laboratory tests for infectious diseases in wild mammals: review and recommendations.

Evaluation of the diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and specificity (DSp) of tests for infectious diseases in wild animals is challenging, and some of the limitations may affect compliance with the OIE-recommended test validation pathway. We conducted a methodologic review of test validation studies for OIE-listed diseases in wild mammals published between 2008 and 2017 and focused on study design, statistical analysis, and reporting of results. Most published papers addressed Mycobacterium bovis infection in one or more wildlife species. Our review revealed limitations or missing information about sampled animals, identification criteria for positive and negative samples (case definition), representativeness of source and target populations, and species in the study, as well as information identifying animals sampled for calculations of DSe and DSp as naturally infected captive, free-ranging, or experimentally challenged animals. The deficiencies may have reflected omissions in reporting rather than design flaws, although lack of random sampling might have induced bias in estimates of DSe and DSp. We used case studies of validation of tests for hemorrhagic diseases in deer and white-nose syndrome in hibernating bats to demonstrate approaches for validation when new pathogen serotypes or genotypes are detected and diagnostic algorithms are changed, and how purposes of tests evolve together with the evolution of the pathogen after identification. We describe potential benefits of experimental challenge studies for obtaining DSe and DSp estimates, methods to maintain sample integrity, and Bayesian latent class models for statistical analysis. We make recommendations for improvements in future studies of detection test accuracy in wild mammals.

SPECIES COMPOSITION OF HELMINTHS OF THE JACKAL (CANIS AUREUS) IN THE WESTERN REGION OF KAZAKHSTAN

The article presents the results of studying the species composition of helminth fauna of the jackal (Canis aureus) in the western region of Kazakhstan. The studies were carried out by coprological methods, the method of complete helminthological dissection, and swabs from the limbs were carried out for oocysts of protozoa and helminth eggs. As study results showed, the highest infection rate is observed for helminth species such as Uncinaria stenocephala, Dipylidium caninum, Toxocara canis, and Trichinella spiralis. The epizootology of parasitic diseases of wild animals is poorly studied, and many unclear questions remain, in particular, what factors serve as triggers for outbreaks of invasive animal diseases. There are many types of helminths parasitizing in domestic animals and their wild relatives, which cause severe diseases in both groups of animals that are often fatal if they have appropriate qualitative and quantitative composition. They include causative agents of echinococcosis, fascioliasis, coenurosis, dictyocaulosis, dicroceliasis of gastrointestinal strongylatosis, etc. As a result, huge losses are caused to natural populations of wild animals and the country's economy in general due to lower productivity and death of animals. Given that the jackal helminth fauna shows a high degree of similarity to domestic carnivores, it should be assumed that when these wild animals come into contact with farm animals, they can exchange parasites. Therefore, it should be assumed that any studies regarding helminthiases of this animal of Kazakhstan form the material of undoubted scientific and practical interest.

A planetary health perspective on COVID-19: a call for papers

It is natural during the unfolding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to focus on emergency response planning, including containment, treatment procedures, and vaccine development, and nobody would doubt the need for these measures. However, an emergency can also open a window of opportunity for reflection and learning. We live in increasingly global, interdependent, and environmentally constrained societies and the COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies these aspects of our world. We would therefore be wise to take a broad integrated perspective on this disease, the impacts of which are already spilling over into the realms of economics, international trade, politics, and inequality. Resilience planning needs to cope with these cascading impacts, and prevention efforts require a similarly wide lens to encompass ecosystems, wild animal disease surveillance, agricultural practices, eating habits, and cultural traditions and contexts. In other words, we need a planetary health perspective that cuts across traditional domains of knowledge, governance, and economic sectors to properly address the challenge posed by COVID-19. We welcome submissions on all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic across the Lancet titles, but here we are calling for submissions to The Lancet and The Lancet Planetary Health. We particularly welcome interdisciplinary research that integrates across important knowledge domains to provide a fuller understanding of the causes and socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19, as well as public understanding and responses, the efficacy of management and prevention interventions, and approaches for the identification and prevention of future such events within the wider context of the Sustainable Development Goals. Submit your paper through our respective online systems and please mention in your cover letter that your submission is in response to this call for papers. We declare no competing interests.