SARS CoV-2 infections in animals, two years into the pandemic

Abstract

In December 2019, several cases of pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus, later identified as SARS-CoV-2, were detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Due to its rapid worldwide spread, on 11 March 2020 the World Health Organization declared a pandemic state. Since this new virus is genetically similar to the coronaviruses of bats, SARS-CoV-2 was hypothesized to have a zoonotic origin. Within a year of the appearance of SARS-CoV-2, several cases of infection were also reported in animals, suggesting human-to-animal and animal-to-animal transmission among mammals. Natural infection has been found in companion animals as well as captive animals such as lions, tigers, and gorillas. Among farm animals, so far, minks have been found to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas not all the relevant studies agree on the susceptibility of pigs. Experimental infections have documented the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 of further animal species, including mice, hamsters, cats, dogs, ferrets, raccoon dogs, cattle, and non-human primates. Experimental infections have proven crucial for clarifying the role of animals in transmission and developing models for viral pathogenesis and immunotherapy. On the whole, this review aims to update and critically revise the current information on natural and experimental SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals.

SARS-CoV-2 occurrence in white-tailed deer throughout their range in the conterminous United States

“…There is now clear evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can move from humans to multiple other animal species (1). This is especially true for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and possibly other cervid species in North America, where early research found 40% of white-tailed deer had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 (2) and more than one-third of deer in some populations were positive by rRT-PCR (real-time PCR with reverse transcription) (3).…”

Endogenous piRNAs Can Interact with Omicron Variant of the SARS-CoV-2 Genome

“…Coronavirus has been found in many animal organisms, which indicates the early occurrence of their protective methods to fight this pathogen [54][55][56]. It is obvious that the low mortality of animal organisms is due to the creation in the process of evolution of endogenous substances that prevent high lethality from coronavirus.…”

Endogenous piRNAs Can Interact with the Omicron Variant of the SARS-CoV-2 Genome

“…Coronavirus has been found in many animal organisms, which indicates the early occurrence of their protective methods to fight this pathogen [ 56 , 57 , 58 ]. It is obvious that the low mortality of animal organisms is due to the creation in the process of evolution of endogenous substances that prevent high lethality from coronaviruses.…”