ABSTRACT
Humans have infected a wide range of animals with SARS-CoV-21-5, but the establishment of a new natural animal reservoir has not been observed. Here we document that free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are highly susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, are exposed to multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants from humans and are capable of sustaining transmission in nature. Using real-time PCR with reverse transcription, we detected SARS-CoV-2 in more than one-third (129 out of 360, 35.8%) of nasal swabs obtained from O. virginianus in northeast Ohio in the USA during January to March 2021. Deer in six locations were infected with three SARS-CoV-2 lineages (B.1.2, B.1.582 and B.1.596). The B.1.2 viruses, dominant in humans in Ohio at the time, infected deer in four locations. We detected probable deer-to-deer transmission of B.1.2, B.1.582 and B.1.596 viruses, enabling the virus to acquire amino acid substitutions in the spike protein (including the receptor-binding domain) and ORF1 that are observed infrequently in humans. No spillback to humans was observed, but these findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 viruses have been transmitted in wildlife in the USA, potentially opening new pathways for evolution. There is an urgent need to establish comprehensive 'One Health' programmes to monitor the environment, deer and other wildlife hosts globally.
Subject(s)
Animals, Wild/virology , COVID-19/veterinary , Deer/virology , Phylogeny , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , Viral Zoonoses/transmission , Viral Zoonoses/virology , Amino Acid Sequence , Amino Acid Substitution , Animals , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/transmission , Evolution, Molecular , Humans , Male , Ohio/epidemiology , One Health/trends , SARS-CoV-2/chemistry , SARS-CoV-2/classification , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics , Viral Zoonoses/epidemiologySubject(s)
Betacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections/therapy , One Health/trends , Pneumonia, Viral/therapy , Public Health/methods , Biomedical Research/economics , Biomedical Research/organization & administration , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/virology , Humans , Interdisciplinary Research/economics , Interdisciplinary Research/organization & administration , One Health/economics , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/virology , Public Health/economics , Public Health/trends , SARS-CoV-2 , World Health OrganizationSubject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/analysis , Betacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy , One Health/trends , Pneumonia, Viral/drug therapy , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Drug Resistance, Bacterial/drug effects , Drug Resistance, Bacterial/physiology , Environmental Pollutants/analysis , Humans , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Risk Assessment/methods , Risk Assessment/trends , SARS-CoV-2 , United Kingdom/epidemiologyABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 is a zoonotic virus that has achieved community spread among humans and become a pandemic. Transmission from humans to dogs, domestic cats, tigers, and lions has occurred. Pigs, cats, ferrets, and primates have been identified as good candidates for susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. The potential implications indicate the need for One Health surveillance, intervention, and management strategies to mitigate the effects on animal populations and prevent a second preparedness failure during this health emergency.