SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant among Asiatic Lions, India

Mishra, Anamika; Kumar, Naveen; Bhatia, Sandeep; Aasdev, Ashutosh; Kanniappan, Sridhar; Sekhar, Abelraj Thaya; Gopinadhan, Aparna; Silambarasan, R; Sreekumar, C.; Dubey, Chandan K.; Tripathi, Meghna; Raut, Ashwin Ashok; Singh, Vijendra Pal

doi:10.3201/eid2710.211500

Cited by 68 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…These facts, together with the growing number of cats that are kept as pets, cat colonies in urban scenarios and the abundance of feral cats throughout the world, make it imperative to examine the role of this species in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Not only cats, but also large wild felines such as tigers and lions have also been naturally infected by SARS-CoV-2 (McAloose et al 2020), including the delta variant in Asiatic lions (Mishra et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the clinical evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cats by simulating natural routes of infection

et al. 2022

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the current pandemic disease denominated as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Several studies suggest that the original source of this virus was a spillover from an animal reservoir and its subsequent adaptation to humans. Of all the different animals affected, cats are one of the most susceptible species. Moreover, several cases of natural infection in domestic and stray cats have been reported in the last few months. Although experimental infection assays have demonstrated that cats are successfully infected and can transmit the virus to other cats by aerosol, the conditions used for these experiments have not been specified in terms of ventilation. We have, therefore, evaluated the susceptibility of cats using routes of infection similar to those expected under natural conditions (exposure to a sneeze, cough, or contaminated environment) by aerosol and oral infection. We have also evaluated the transmission capacity among infected and naïve cats using different air exchange levels. Despite being infected using natural routes and shed virus for a long period, the cats did not transmit the virus to contact cats when air renovation features were employed. The infected animals also developed gross and histological lesions in several organs. These outcomes confirm that cats are at risk of infection when exposed to infected people, but do not transmit the virus to other cats with high rates of air renovation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the clinical evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cats by simulating natural routes of infection

et al. 2022

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“…S1A, S5H). The 203M/452R and Delta variants appeared as early as March 2020 and May 2020 29 , respectively (Fig. S5G, H).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nucleocapsid 203 mutations enhance SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion

Lin

Xue

Zhang

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Previous work indicated that the nucleocapsid 203 mutation increase the virulence and transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant. However, Delta later outcompeted Alpha and other lineages, promoting a new wave of infections. Delta also possesses a nucleocapsid 203 mutation, R203M. Large-scale epidemiological analyses suggest a synergistic effect of the 203 mutation and the spike L452R mutation, associated with Delta expansion. Viral competition experiments demonstrate the synergistic effect in fitness and infectivity. More importantly, we found that the combination of R203M and L452R brings in a 3.2-fold decrease in neutralizing titers to the neutralizing serum relative to L452R-only virus. R203M/L452R show an increased fitness after the initiation of global vaccination programmes, possibly associated with the enhanced immune evasion. Another rapidly emerging variant Omicron also bears the 203 mutation. Thus, we proposed that nucleocapsid mutations play an essential role for the rise and predominance of variants in concern.

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“…In hamsters, higher shedding of subgenomic RNA has been reported for 14 days, and moderate lung pathology has been reported in 40% of infected animals [ 9 ]. Delta can cause vaccine breakthrough events in humans [ 10 ] and has been reported to infect Asiatic lions ( Panthera leo persica ) in Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India [ 11 ]. Analysis of an outbreak involving 167 cases from China showed that the time interval between exposure to first positive PCR was shorter (4 vs 6 days), the initial viral load 1260-folds higher and more infectious (80% vs. 19% harbouring > 6 × 10^5 viral copies/ml) than in 19A/19B infection: some minor intra-host single nucleotide variants (iSNVs) could be transmitted between hosts and finally fixed in the virus population during the outbreak.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spike protein evolution in the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant of concern: a case series from Northern Lombardy

Baj

Novazzi²,

Ferrante³

et al. 2021

Emerging Microbes & Infections

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The SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) "Delta" is currently defined by PANGOLIN as a cluster of 33 different AY sublineages. Delta (in particular B.1.617.2) is largely and rapidly replacing the Alpha VOC as the dominant clade in most countries. To date, variations in the Spike protein of the Delta VOC have largely been limited. We report here the results of a genomic surveillance program from Northern Italy. We identified several Delta sublineages harboring mutations previously reported in GISAID at extremely low frequencies and in different combinations. Two patients (one of them vaccinated) tested positive for a Delta sublineage harboring S71F, T250I, T572I and K854N. More patients tested positive for G769V plus C1248F, A352S, and R158G and C1248F, respectively. Genomic surveillance of Delta variants should be encouraged to anticipate immune escape and deploy countermeasures.

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SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant among Asiatic Lions, India

Cited by 68 publications

References 6 publications

Evaluation of the clinical evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cats by simulating natural routes of infection

Evaluation of the clinical evolution and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cats by simulating natural routes of infection

Nucleocapsid 203 mutations enhance SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion

Spike protein evolution in the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant of concern: a case series from Northern Lombardy

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