SARS-CoV-2 evolution in animals suggests mechanisms for rapid variant selection

Bashor, Laura; Gagne, Roderick B.; Bosco‐Lauth, Angela M.; Bowen, Richard A.; Stenglein, Mark D.; VandeWoude, Sue

doi:10.1101/2021.03.05.434135

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…This contrasts with what has been described in other animal species (e.g. tigers, lions, mink, cats, dogs, hamsters and ferrets) naturally and/or experimentally infected with the virus, in which characteristic mutations mainly in the S protein have been observed shortly after infection [22][23][24][25]. The findings in WTD can be partially explained by the high degree of homology of the human and deer ACE2 proteins species and in humans [19,[26][27][28][29].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

From Deer-to-Deer: SARS-CoV-2 is efficiently transmitted and presents broad tissue tropism and replication sites in white-tailed deer

Martins

Boggiatto

Buckley

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) in humans, has a broad host range, and is able to infect domestic and wild animal species. Notably, white-tailed deer (WTD, Odocoileus virginianus ) the most widely distributed cervid species in the Americas was shown to be highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 with reported natural infection rates approaching 40% in wild WTD populations in the U.S. Thus, understanding the infection and transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in WTD is critical to prevent future zoonotic transmission to humans and for implementation of effective disease control measures. Here, we demonstrated that following intranasal inoculation with SARS-CoV-2, deer fawns shed infectious virus up to day 5 post-inoculation (pi), with high viral loads shed in nasal and oral secretions. This resulted in efficient deer-to-deer transmission on day 3 pi. Consistent with lack of infectious SARS-CoV-2 shedding after day 5 pi, no transmission was observed to contact animals added on days 6 and 9 pi. We have also investigated the tropism and sites of SARS-CoV-2 replication in WTD. Active virus replication was observed in respiratory-, lymphoid-, and central nervous system tissues, indicating broad tissue tropism and multiple target sites of virus replication during acute infection. The study provides important insights on the infection and transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in WTD, a wild animal species that is highly susceptible to infection and with the potential to become a reservoir for the virus in the field.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

From Deer-to-Deer: SARS-CoV-2 is efficiently transmitted and presents broad tissue tropism and replication sites in white-tailed deer

Martins

Boggiatto

Buckley

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…For this, oropharyngeal and nasal swabs were collected from the animals up to 10 days after virus inoculation. Collected samples were sequenced and analyzed via a modern tiled amplicon technique [ 26 ] that allows for accurately determining single nucleotide and structural sequence variations in the viral populations. The results showed that viral sequences derived from cats, that were exposed via direct contact with other infected cats, had a high level of viral sequence similarity showing that novel viral mutations could be horizontally transmitted between cats [ 26 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Collected samples were sequenced and analyzed via a modern tiled amplicon technique [ 26 ] that allows for accurately determining single nucleotide and structural sequence variations in the viral populations. The results showed that viral sequences derived from cats, that were exposed via direct contact with other infected cats, had a high level of viral sequence similarity showing that novel viral mutations could be horizontally transmitted between cats [ 26 ]. Cats also had fewer consensus viral sequences (i.e., less of the same virus sequences) and shared sequence variations as compared to those in the infected dogs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From this cat transmission model, the authors found that cats have a narrow transmission bottleneck (i.e., a dramatic reduction in viral population size at the time of transmission) where fewer than 10 viruses were founding the new infections [ 27 ]. Collectively, these studies suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is likely adapting to its host (i.e., cats) quickly and as early as the first course of the infection and that repeated inter-feline transmission of the virus presents the potential for acceleration of virus evolution and opportunity for a novel virus strain to emerge naturally [ 26 , 27 , 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) exposure in companion, captive, wild, and farmed animals

Murphy

2021

Virulence

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Several animal species, including ferrets, hamsters, monkeys, and raccoon dogs, have been shown to be susceptible to experimental infection by the human severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, which were responsible for the 2003 SARS outbreak and the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, respectively. Emerging studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 natural infection of pet dogs and cats is also possible, but its prevalence is not fully understood. Experimentally, it has been demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 replicates more efficiently in cats than in dogs and that cats can transmit the virus through aerosols. With approximately 470 million pet dogs and 370 million pet cats cohabitating with their human owners worldwide, the finding of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in these household pets has important implications for potential zoonotic transmission events during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as future SARS-related outbreaks. Here, we describe some of the ongoing worldwide surveillance efforts to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in companion, captive, wild, and farmed animals, as well as provide some perspectives on these efforts including the intra- and inter-species coronavirus transmissions, evolution, and their implications on the human-animal interface along with public health. Some ongoing efforts to develop and implement a new COVID-19 vaccine for animals are also discussed. Surveillance initiatives to track SARS-CoV-2 exposures in animals are necessary to accurately determine their impact on veterinary and human health, as well as define potential reservoir sources of the virus and its evolutionary and transmission dynamics.

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“…The spillover of virus from humans or domestic animals into wildlife is concerning not only due to the possible deleterious effects on wildlife, but because these wild populations have the potential to act as reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2. Diseases that have an animal reservoir are inherently much more difficult to control and the spread of SARS-CoV-2 through animal populations could further contribute to the development of variants of concern (VoCs), potentially undermining the efficacy of medical countermeasures such as antivirals and vaccines (13, 14). Additionally, people who have close contact with wildlife, such as biologists, wildlife rehabilitators, and hunters and trappers, may be at higher risk of being exposed to the virus and of facilitating its spread among wildlife.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 wildlife surveillance in Ontario and Québec, Canada

Greenhorn

Kotwa

Bowman

et al. 2021

Preprint

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BackgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is capable of infecting a variety of wildlife species. Wildlife living in close contact with humans are at an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and if infected have the potential to become a reservoir for the pathogen, making control and management more difficult.ObjectiveTo conduct SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in urban wildlife from Ontario and Québec, Canada, increasing our knowledge of the epidemiology of the virus and our chances of detecting spillover from humans into wildlife.MethodsUsing a One Health approach, we leveraged activities of existing research, surveillance, and rehabilitation programs among multiple agencies to collect samples from 776 animals from 17 different wildlife species between June 2020 and May 2021. Samples from all animals were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA, and a subset of samples from 219 animals across 3 species (raccoons, Procyon lotor; striped skunks, Mephitis mephitis; and mink, Neovison vison) were also tested for the presence of neutralizing antibodies.ResultsNo evidence of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA or neutralizing antibodies was detected in any of the tested samples.ConclusionAlthough we were unable to identify positive SARS-CoV-2 cases in wildlife, continued research and surveillance activities are critical to better understand the rapidly changing landscape of susceptible animal species. Collaboration between academic, public and animal health sectors should include experts from relevant fields to build coordinated surveillance and response capacity.

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SARS-CoV-2 evolution in animals suggests mechanisms for rapid variant selection

Cited by 14 publications

References 57 publications

From Deer-to-Deer: SARS-CoV-2 is efficiently transmitted and presents broad tissue tropism and replication sites in white-tailed deer

From Deer-to-Deer: SARS-CoV-2 is efficiently transmitted and presents broad tissue tropism and replication sites in white-tailed deer

Understanding the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) exposure in companion, captive, wild, and farmed animals

SARS-CoV-2 wildlife surveillance in Ontario and Québec, Canada

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