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Amid the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, concerns surfaced regarding the spread of the virus to wildlife. Switzerland lacked data concerning the exposure of free-ranging animals to SARS-CoV-2 during this period. This study aimed to investigate the potential exposure of Swiss free-ranging wildlife to SARS-CoV-2. From 2020 to 2023, opportunistically collected samples from 712 shot or found dead wild mustelids (64 European stone and pine martens, 13 European badgers, 10 European polecats), canids (449 red foxes, 41 gray wolves, one golden jackal) and felids (56 Eurasian lynx, 18 European wildcats), as well as from 45 captured animals (39 Eurasian lynx, 6 European wildcats) were tested. A multi-step serological approach detecting antibodies to the spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) and N-terminal S1 subunit followed by surrogate virus neutralization (sVNT) and pseudotype-based virus neutralization assays against different SARS-CoV-2 variants was performed. Additionally, viral RNA loads were quantified in lung tissues and in oronasal, oropharyngeal, and rectal swabs by reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-qPCRs). Serologically, SARS-CoV-2 exposure was confirmed in 14 free-ranging Swiss red foxes (prevalence 3.1%, 95% CI: 1.9–5.2%), two Eurasian lynx (2.2%, 95% CI: 0.6–7.7%), and one European wildcat (4.2%, 95% CI: 0.2–20.2%). Two positive foxes exhibited neutralization activity against the BA.2 and BA.1 Omicron variants. No active infection (viral RNA) was detected in any animal tested. This is the first report of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in free-ranging red foxes, Eurasian lynx, and European wildcats worldwide. It confirms the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to free-ranging wildlife in Switzerland but does not provide evidence of reservoir formation. Our results underscore the susceptibility of wildlife populations to SARS-CoV-2 and the importance of understanding diseases in a One Health Concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body temperature in the horse is a reference measurement that is considered to be an excellent health indicator. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of infrared thermal imaging for fever screening became widespread to detect changes in human body temperature. During the 2021 outbreak of EHV in southern Europe, quarantine and confinement were quickly imposed as the main control measures. This impacted equestrian sport for many months and caused relevant damage. To prevent repetition of these events, the equine sport sector introduced rules to monitor the temperature of the horses before, during and after competitions. The first objective of this study is to assess whether Infrared Thermography (IRT) measurement of either the anus or forehead surface temperature using a FLIR thermal imaging camera is an appropriate alternative to rectal measurements using a thermometer for determining body temperature in horses. The second objective is to assess the possibility of using IRT body temperature measurement on a large scale, for example in the case of an infectious disease epidemic such as EHV-1. 40 healthy geldings from the Swiss Armed Forces with a median age of 7.5 years (range: 4 to 17 years, SD 3.83 years) were used. The study was divided into three periods. The first was the pilot study with 13 horses during the summer. The second was during the winter with 16 horses and the third with 11 horses in early spring. 10 horses in the second study period and 4 horses in the third wore a blanket, while the other 26 horses did not. A conventional veterinary digital thermometer and the FLIR E86 thermal imaging camera were used. The anal IRT measurement was made at a distance of 10 cm centred on the middle of the anus. The forehead measurement was made on the midline between the eyes at distances of 20 and 30 cm. All measurements were taken three times a day (early morning, midday and late afternoon). The same location was used over all three testing periods. The median difference between measurements of rectal temperature and surface anal temperature was 0.9 °C (SD = 0.96 °C – p value: <2.2 ×10–16). There was a variation between summer and winter (p value: <2.2 ×10–16). The ambient temperature was an important parameter influencing the surface anal temperature in our data (p value = 6.34 ×10–29). The median difference between measurements of rectal temperature and surface forehead temperature was 15.2 °C (SD = 2.83) at 20 cm and 15.3 °C (SD = 2.84 °C) at 30 cm. Repeated measurements of the surface anal temperature with the FLIR showed that the method is reproducible, with only small differences between the measurements. Neither the surface temperature of the anus nor the forehead as measured with the FLIR allowed efficient prediction of equine rectal temperature. The precision of the methodology applied both to the anus and the forehead was too low to allow the effective implementation of this technology to evaluate equine body temperature. In addition, this method is also insufficiently accurate for measuring body temperatures on a large-scale during events with a large number of horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]