SARS-CoV-2 in animals: susceptibility of animal species, risk for animal and public health, monitoring, prevention and control
- PMID: 36860662
- PMCID: PMC9968901
- DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7822
SARS-CoV-2 in animals: susceptibility of animal species, risk for animal and public health, monitoring, prevention and control
Abstract
The epidemiological situation of SARS-CoV-2 in humans and animals is continually evolving. To date, animal species known to transmit SARS-CoV-2 are American mink, raccoon dog, cat, ferret, hamster, house mouse, Egyptian fruit bat, deer mouse and white-tailed deer. Among farmed animals, American mink have the highest likelihood to become infected from humans or animals and further transmit SARS-CoV-2. In the EU, 44 outbreaks were reported in 2021 in mink farms in seven MSs, while only six in 2022 in two MSs, thus representing a decreasing trend. The introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into mink farms is usually via infected humans; this can be controlled by systematically testing people entering farms and adequate biosecurity. The current most appropriate monitoring approach for mink is the outbreak confirmation based on suspicion, testing dead or clinically sick animals in case of increased mortality or positive farm personnel and the genomic surveillance of virus variants. The genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 showed mink-specific clusters with a potential to spill back into the human population. Among companion animals, cats, ferrets and hamsters are those at highest risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which most likely originates from an infected human, and which has no or very low impact on virus circulation in the human population. Among wild animals (including zoo animals), mostly carnivores, great apes and white-tailed deer have been reported to be naturally infected by SARS-CoV-2. In the EU, no cases of infected wildlife have been reported so far. Proper disposal of human waste is advised to reduce the risks of spill-over of SARS-CoV-2 to wildlife. Furthermore, contact with wildlife, especially if sick or dead, should be minimised. No specific monitoring for wildlife is recommended apart from testing hunter-harvested animals with clinical signs or found-dead. Bats should be monitored as a natural host of many coronaviruses.
Keywords: SARS‐CoV‐2; control; mink; monitoring; prevention; public health; wildlife.
© 2023 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH on behalf of European Food Safety Authority.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mustelids.EFSA J. 2021 Mar 3;19(3):e06459. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6459. eCollection 2021 Mar. EFSA J. 2021. PMID: 33717355 Free PMC article.
-
SARS-CoV-2 in animals: potential for unknown reservoir hosts and public health implications.Vet Q. 2021 Dec;41(1):181-201. doi: 10.1080/01652176.2021.1921311. Vet Q. 2021. PMID: 33892621 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Transmission dynamics and susceptibility patterns of SARS-CoV-2 in domestic, farmed and wild animals: Sustainable One Health surveillance for conservation and public health to prevent future epidemics and pandemics.Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022 Sep;69(5):2523-2543. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14356. Epub 2021 Nov 9. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022. PMID: 34694705 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Risks of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between free-ranging animals and captive mink in the Netherlands.Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022 Nov;69(6):3339-3349. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14686. Epub 2022 Sep 5. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022. PMID: 35988158 Free PMC article.
-
Animals and SARS-CoV-2: Species susceptibility and viral transmission in experimental and natural conditions, and the potential implications for community transmission.Transbound Emerg Dis. 2021 Jul;68(4):1850-1867. doi: 10.1111/tbed.13885. Epub 2020 Nov 4. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2021. PMID: 33091230 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission via the skin to oro-nasal route with the production of bioaerosols in the ferret model.J Gen Virol. 2024 Sep;105(9):002022. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.002022. J Gen Virol. 2024. PMID: 39292223
-
Wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) do not participate in SARS-CoV-2 circulation in Poland.One Health. 2024 Jun 22;19:100845. doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2024.100845. eCollection 2024 Dec. One Health. 2024. PMID: 39071484 Free PMC article.
-
SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity in Urban Population of Wild Fallow Deer, Dublin, Ireland, 2020-2022.Emerg Infect Dis. 2024 Aug;30(8):1609-1620. doi: 10.3201/eid3008.231056. Emerg Infect Dis. 2024. PMID: 39043403 Free PMC article.
-
Survey of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in captive and free-ranging wildlife from Spain.Vet Res. 2024 Jul 19;55(1):90. doi: 10.1186/s13567-024-01348-0. Vet Res. 2024. PMID: 39030652 Free PMC article.
-
Epidemiological modeling of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) reveals conditions for introduction and widespread transmission.PLoS Comput Biol. 2024 Jul 12;20(7):e1012263. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012263. eCollection 2024 Jul. PLoS Comput Biol. 2024. PMID: 38995977 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Aguilo‐Gisbert J, Padilla‐Blanco M, Lizana V, Maiques E, Munoz‐Baquero M, Chillida‐Martinez E, Cardells J and Rubio‐Guerri C, 2021. First description of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in two feral American Mink (Neovison vison) caught in the wild. Animals (Basel), 11, 1–13. 10.3390/ani11051422 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
-
- Allen H, Tessier E, Turner C, Anderson C, Blomquist P, Simons D, Lochen A, Jarvis CI, Groves N and Capelastegui F, 2022. Comparative transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron (B. 1.1. 529) and Delta (B. 1.617. 2) variants and the impact of vaccination: national cohort study, England. medRxiv, 2022‐02. 10.1101/2022.02.15.22271001 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous