Animals and viruses have constantly been co-evolving under natural circumstances and pandemic like situations. They harbour harmful viruses which can spread easily. In the recent times we have seen pandemic like situations being created as a result of the spread of deadly and fatal viruses. Coronaviruses (CoVs) are one of the wellrecognized groups of viruses. There are four known genera of Coronavirus family namely, alpha (α), beta (β), gamma (γ), and delta (δ). Animals have been infected with CoVs belonging to all four genera. In the last few decades the world has witnessed an emergence of severe acute respiratory syndromes which had created a pandemic like situation such as SARS CoV, MERS-CoV. We are currently in another pandemic like situation created due to the uncontrolled spread of a similar coronavirus namely SARSCoV-2. These findings are based on a small number of animals and do not indicate whether animals can transmit disease to humans. Several mammals, including cats, dogs, bank voles, ferrets, fruit bats, hamsters, mink, pigs, rabbits, racoon dogs, and white-tailed deer, have been found to be infected naturally by the virus. Certain laboratory discoveries revealed that animals such as cats, ferrets, fruit bats, hamsters, racoon dogs, and white-tailed deer can spread the illness to other animals of the same species. This review article gives insights on the current knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 infection and development in animals on the farm and in domestic community and their impact on society.

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The SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread worldwide to cause a full blown pandemic since 2020. To date, several promising synthetic therapeutics are repurposed and vaccines through different stages of clinical trials were approved and being administered, but still the efficacy of the drugs and vaccines are yet to be decoded. This article highlights the importance of traditional medicinal plants and the phytomolecules derived from them, which possess in vitro antiviral and anti-CoV properties and further explores their potential as inhibitors to molecular targets of SARS-CoV-2 that were evaluated by in silico approaches. Botanicals in traditional medicinal systems have been investigated for anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity through in silico and in vitro studies. However, information linking structure of phytomolecules to their antiviral activity is limited. Most phytomolecules with anti-CoV activity were studied for inhibition of the human ACE2 receptor through which the virus enters host cells, and non-structural proteins 3CL pro and PL pro . Although the proteases are ideal anti-CoV targets, information on plant-based inhibitors for the CoV structural proteins, e.g., spike, envelope, membrane, nucleocapsid required further investigations. In absence of scientific evaluations through in vitro and biocompatibility studies, plant-based antivirals fall short as treatment options. Plant-based anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics can be promising alternatives to their synthetic counterparts as they are economical and bear fewer chances of toxicity, side effects, and viral resistance. Our review could provide a systematic overview of the potential phytomolecules which can be repurposed and subjected to further modes of experimental evaluation to qualify for use in treatment and prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Determination of species from wildlife specimens is one of the prime goals of forensic laboratories analyzing samples involved in wildlife crimes. The conviction rate in wildlife crimes is often low due to a lack of evidential support in identification of the species involved in crime. When species identification by application of morphological techniques fails due to sample autolysis or lack of anatomical markers in wildlife specimens, DNA analysis provides the vital, foolproof cue. Sequences generated from mitochondrial DNA regions are used to determine the species by matching against a known reference sequence, either using the global GenBank database or using references created locally. The present study employed species identification by DNA analysis using wildlife samples received from the Forest Department across Tamil Nadu, India. The study demonstrates the utility of partial Cytb and 12S rRNAgenes for determination of species from 18 samples without recognizable morphological features, including tissue, hair and blood. The species of the collected specimens were correctly identified by sequence similarity search with 99 to 100% match and taxonomic classification using phylogenetic tree reconstruction. Of the 18 samples analyzed, accurate species identification using 12S rRNA gene was possible for all the samples, while Cytbgene-based identification was successful for 16 samples. Sequences generated from the study could also serve as a local genetic databank for the State Forest Department to match against sequences from wildlife forensic samples referred to the Institute for ascertaining species involved in wildlife trade. The sequences will also be useful to bridge gaps in genetic data on species native to Tamil Nadu.