ABSTRACT
In June-November 2020, SARS-CoV-2-infected mink were detected in 290 of 1,147 Danish mink farms. In North Denmark Region, 30% (324/1,092) of people found connected to mink farms tested SARS-CoV-2-PCR-positive and approximately 27% (95% confidence interval (CI): 25-30) of SARS-CoV-2-strains from humans in the community were mink-associated. Measures proved insufficient to mitigate spread. On 4 November, the government ordered culling of all Danish mink. Farmed mink constitute a potential virus reservoir challenging pandemic control.
Subject(s)
Animals, Wild/virology , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/veterinary , Disease Outbreaks/veterinary , Disease Reservoirs/veterinary , Disease Transmission, Infectious/veterinary , Mink/virology , Pandemics/veterinary , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , Viral Zoonoses/transmission , Animals , COVID-19/transmission , COVID-19/virology , COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing , Denmark/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks/statistics & numerical data , Disease Reservoirs/virology , Farms , Genes, Viral , Humans , Incidence , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Public Health , RNA, Viral/analysis , RNA, Viral/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/classification , Viral Zoonoses/virology , Whole Genome Sequencing , Zoonoses/transmission , Zoonoses/virologyABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has caused a pandemic in humans. Farmed mink (Neovison vison) are also susceptible. In Denmark, this virus has spread rapidly among farmed mink, resulting in some respiratory disease. Full-length virus genome sequencing revealed novel virus variants in mink. These variants subsequently appeared within the local human community.