Emerging and Re-Emerging Viral Diseases in Animals: Molecular Insights, Diagnostic Innovations, and One Health Implications

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past decades, numerous emerging and re-emerging diseases of veterinary significance have impacted both farming and companion animals, posing significant economic threats.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV), which emerged in East Asia in 2004, caused immense losses to the poultry industry, leading to the culling of millions of birds. HPAIV has since evolved through genetic reassortment, acquiring the ability to mix with different neuraminidases—a surface protein gene—and subsequently spreading to Europe and North America. To this day, it continues to affect North America and periodically re-emerges in parts of Asia.

In addition to HPAIV, and notably during the COVID-19 pandemic in humans, at least three viral infectious diseases in animals originally from the African continent have emerged in other continents. Firstly, African swine fever virus (ASFV) emerged in Eastern Europe in 2007, gradually spread to Russia, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, and has become endemic in some Asian countries. ASFV has devastated the swine industry and related pork production and commerce. Secondly, a new strain of lumpy skin disease virus, resulting from recombination with a vaccine strain, spread rapidly through Southeast Asia between 2020 and 2022. The most recent emerging disease is African horse sickness, an arbovirus, which surfaced in Thailand in 2020, possibly due to animal transportation.

Beyond these emerging viruses that significantly affect domestic animals and economies, re-emerging viruses, such as foot-and-mouth disease viruses, are also continuing to devastate the economies of both endemic and epidemic countries.

Controlling infectious diseases demands a combination of measures. These include not only effective vaccination, biosecurity, quarantine, restricted animal movement, and animal culling, but also early detection. Therefore, innovating highly sensitive, specific, rapid, or onsite diagnostic assays can significantly accelerate the efficacy of disease control. Additionally, there is a strong interest in diagnostic tests that can differentiate infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA). Each diagnostic assay is suited for different stages of infection; for instance, nucleic acid-based assays are typically best for early detection, while immunoassays prove more useful in later stages. Hence, innovations in both nucleic acid-based assays and immunoassays are highly valued.

Moreover, understanding the genetic characterization and molecular epidemiology of emerging and re-emerging viruses is crucial in disease prevention and control, making them integral to this Special Issue. Beyond the diseases already mentioned, numerous other emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases exist. Most of these are zoonotic diseases, and some are caused by vector-borne viruses. Consequently, a One Health approach is essential in controlling these diseases and ensuring the safety of humans, animals, and the environment.

Dr. Porntippa Lekcharoensuk
Dr. Pipat Arunvipas
Dr. Somporn Techangamsuwan
Guest Editors

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• emerging viral diseases
• viral zoonotic diseases
• economic impact
• diagnostic innovation
• One Health
• genetic characterization
• molecular epidemiology