They discovered that COVID-19 is abundant in a common species of deer in the United States

One-third of white-tailed deer in northeastern US have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, nail a sign that they have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, alerted a document scientist published in the scientific journal Nature.

The conclusions, revealed by a analysis of samples taken after the onset of the pandemic represents the first detection of widespread exposure to the virus in a population of wild animals, to analyse Arinjay Banerjee, virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada. Results are reported in a prepress published on bioRxiv on July 29. They have not yet been peer reviewed.

The research group believes that the rapid exposure of large numbers of animals to the virus is of concern, but that more studies are needed to assess whether deer can infect each other, as well as other species, in the wild. “It’s an intriguing observation, but one that still needs to be interpreted with caution.Predicted Aaron Irving, an infectious disease researcher at Zhejiang University in Haining, China.

The crucial questions are: “How does the virus spread to deer and will it spread from infected deer to other wildlife or to domestic livestock such as cattle?”Asked Linda Saif, a virologist at Ohio State University in Wooster.

The deer next door

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) abound in North America, especially near urban centers in the eastern United States. Previous laboratory experiments have shown that deer can become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and transmit the virus to other deer. In the wild, these deer live in small herds, which means the virus could be spread naturally from an infected animal.

Researchers are concerned about the emergence of new animal “reservoirs”, ie populations of animals that harbor SARS-CoV-2, as it happened with the minks.

A group of infected animals could provide a refuge where the virus could evolve in a way that threatens the effectiveness of the vaccine. A reservoir could also allow the virus to spread to other species and return to humans, even after the pandemic has ended.. Saif has documented other coronaviruses jumping between species. “It is possible that a similar spill is now occurring in wildlife around the world,” he warned.

To assess this risk, Susan shriner from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Fort Collins, Colorado, and their colleagues analyzed 385 blood samples taken as part of regular wildlife monitoring activities between January and March 2021 in four US states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York. They found out that an astonishing 40% of the samples contained antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, which are produced in response to infection. None of the deer studied showed signs of disease.

Researchers’ testing of archived samples also revealed antibodies in 3 samples from early 2020, when SARS-CoV-2 began circulating in the United States. In total, a third of the samples from 2020 and 2021 had antibodies to the virus.

“Given the percentage of samples in this study that contained detectable antibodies, as well as the large number of white-tailed deer in the United States and their close contact with people, it is likely that deer from other states also had been exposed to the virus. . “A USDA spokesperson detailed.

“The data strongly suggests that this species of deer was infected with SARS-CoV-2 at some point.Banerjee declared. But the researchers did not test the animals for viral RNA, which would be necessary to establish whether it is an animal reservoir.

Unknown sources

The real mystery, according to Banerjee, is how the deer were exposed. This could be from contact with people, other animals or even contaminated sewage. “If there is a common source of exposure for deer, it is likely that the same source could expose other animals.”

The results underscore the importance of studying deer, as well as their predators and other animals that come in close contact with deer, for SARS-CoV-2, the researchers concluded.

KEEP READING: