The rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus is the smallest wildcat in the world, endemic to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Although new occurrence records have recently been reported from different geographic localities in India and Nepal, there is still a lack of information on its biology and habitat use that are required for its conservation planning. Herein, we report results from systematic, long-term (2014–2018) camera trapping in Kanha Tiger Reserve, India, to evaluate the habitat use, suitability and activity pattern of the rusty-spotted cat and model its local distribution with habitat and anthropogenic covariates. Thick canopied forest and rugged terrain were found to be extensively used and preferred by the rusty-spotted cat. It was also recorded in the multiple-use buffer zone forests in close proximity to agriculture. The species is nocturnal and its activity seems to coincide with its major prey. The guiding philosophy of tiger reserves in India is to use the tiger as an umbrella species for biodiversity conservation, and often these reserves are intensively managed to enhance tiger and prey populations. This approach, however, may not cater to the requirements of other less charismatic sympatric species, and those of the rusty-spotted cat also need to be considered for its continued survival.

There is a varying prevalence of olfactory and taste dysfunction (OTD) in COVID-19 patients, with a higher prevalence reported in the European population as compared to the Asian population. Psychophysical tests are crucial to determine the exact frequency, extent and clinical characteristics of these OTDs. The present study objectively evaluated the OTD for patients treated in the Dedicated COVID-19 Hospital (DCH) in Shahdol. This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted after IEC approval in DCH Shahdol for a period of four months among RT-PCR positive patients, and they were evaluated using validated chemosensitive psychophysical test during ENT consultation to identify OTD. The sample size was calculated as 92 considering prevalence (p) of OTD as 41.3% by applying formula: n = (Z 1−a/2 ) 2 × p (1− p ) / d 2 . The information pertaining to the subjects was kept anonymous and confidential. During data analysis, an association was significant for p value < 0.05. It was observed that 45.5% of subjects reported either loss of taste or smell. During objective evaluation, olfactory and taste dysfunction was observed among 42.4% of subjects (95/224). The Chi-square analysis reflected statistically significant difference ( p < 0.05) between subjects with OTD and without OTD for the variables such as days from onset of symptoms to admission, and symptoms (fever, sore throat and shortness of breath). Taste and smell are among the important senses and in India they are mostly subjectively evaluated for COVID-19 induced OTD which results in underreporting of these symptoms. So, a gold standard objective evaluation should be taken into consideration to evaluate OTD.

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Background and Aim: Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) diagnosis is confirmed by detection of viral nucleic acid by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in the upper respiratory samples through nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs or sputum. The present study compared the means of viral load on RT-PCR among COVID-19 patients with and without olfactory and taste dysfunction (OTD) admitted to dedicate COVID-19 hospital (DCH). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted after IEC approval in DCH Shahdol for a period of 4 months, and RT-PCR positive patients were divided into two groups, Group A (with OTD) and Group B (with no OTD) using chemosensitive psychophysical test. The sample size was calculated as 160 (Group A = 80 and Group B = 80) by using sample size formula: (σ2 1+ σ2 2/K) (z1− α/2 + z1− β)2/Δ2. During data analysis, an association was significant for P < 0.05. Results: Among total subjects (n = 160), 129 subjects reported the history of fever or malaise followed by cough among 55 subjects. It was observed that from Group A and Group B, 38.7% and 36.2% of subjects stayed in hospital for <5 days, respectively. The differences in the mean Ct values, of all the three genes, between Group A and Group B were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The loss of smell and taste are important symptoms in COVID-19 patients. It need to be carefully assessed even in asymptomatic patients to reduce the further transmission of the virus in the community. This may help in further reducing the transmission of the virus in the community.