An Opportunistic Survey Reveals an Unexpected Coronavirus Diversity Hotspot in North America

Abstract

In summer 2020, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected on mink farms in Utah. An interagency One Health response was initiated to assess the extent of the outbreak and included sampling animals from on or near affected mink farms and testing them for SARS-CoV-2 and non-SARS coronaviruses. Among the 365 animals sampled, including domestic cats, mink, rodents, raccoons, and skunks, 261 (72%) of the animals harbored at least one coronavirus. Among the samples that could be further characterized, 127 alphacoronaviruses and 88 betacoronaviruses (including 74 detections of SARS-CoV-2 in mink) were identified. Moreover, at least 10% (n = 27) of the coronavirus-positive animals were found to be co-infected with more than one coronavirus. Our findings indicate an unexpectedly high prevalence of coronavirus among the domestic and wild free-roaming animals tested on mink farms. These results raise the possibility that mink farms could be potential hot spots for future trans-species viral spillover and the emergence of new pandemic coronaviruses.

One Health Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 in People and Animals on Multiple Mink Farms in Utah

“…Additional tissues were collected, fixed in formalin, and shipped to CDC for eventual histopathological analysis and SARS-CoV-2 immunohistochemistry. Results from histopathological analysis, SARS-CoV-2 and other testing on tissue specimens are published separately [ 53 , 54 ]. Additionally, a sub-study by our team during the October field investigations placed collars with global positioning systems (GPS) on a subset of free-roaming cats on Farms A, C, and D to monitor movement patterns on- and off-farm; the findings from this sub-study are published separately [ 29 ].…”

Second round of the interlaboratory comparison (ILC) exercise of SARS-CoV-2 molecular detection assays being used by 45 veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the US

“…SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in wild and domestic animals around the world [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] . A recent U.S. animal surveillance study indicated high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among domestic and wild free-roaming animals tested on mink farms 18 . Conducting animal surveillance and routine testing with a sensitive and specific SARS-CoV-2 detection method is important in outbreak response and prevention.…”

COVID-19-related hospital admission in spouses of partners in at-risk occupations

“…Domestic crowding is associated with risk of viral transmission ( 21 , 22 ) and fewer opportunities for isolation at the home, but is, at least partially, accounted for by adjusting for social, ethnic and geographical characteristics including number of household members and children. Nevertheless, information about factors such as home-to-work commuting patterns ( 23 , 24 ), large gathering attendance ( 25 ) and local hotspots ( 26 ) was not available at the individual level and skewed distribution of these factors across exposure categories may have contributed to residual confounding in either direction. The same applies to JEM-based assignment of probability of smoking and body mass index.…”