Sars-Cov-2 Infection and Longitudinal Fecal Screening in Malayan Tigers (Panthera Tigris Jacksoni), Amur Tigers (Panthera Tigris Altaica ), and African Lions (Panthera Leo Krugeri) at the Bronx Zoo, New York, Usa

Abstract

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged as the cause of a global pandemic in 2019-2020. In March 2020 New York City became the USA epicenter for the pandemic. On March 27, 2020 a Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) at the Bronx Zoo in New York City developed a cough and wheezing with subsequent inappetence.Over the next week, an additional Malayan tiger and two Amur tigers (P. t. altaica) in the same building and three lions (Panthera leo krugeri) in a separate building also became ill. The index case was immobilized, and physical examination and bloodwork results were unremarkable.Thoracic radiography and ultrasonography revealed peribronchial cuffing with bronchiectasis, and mild lung consolidation with alveolar-interstitial syndrome, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified by real-time, reverse transcriptase PCR (rRT-PCR) on oropharyngeal and nasal swabs and tracheal wash fluid. Cytologic examination of tracheal wash fluid revealed necrosis, and viral RNA was detected in necrotic cells by in situ hybridization, confirming virusassociated tissue damage. SARS-CoV-2 was isolated from the tracheal wash fluid of the index case, as well as the feces from one Amur tiger and one lion. Fecal viral RNA shedding was confirmed in all seven clinical cases and an asymptomatic Amur tiger. Respiratory signs abated within 1-5 days for most animals, though persisted intermittently for 16 days in the index case.Fecal RNA shedding persisted for as long as 35 days beyond cessation of respiratory signs. This case series describes the clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and management of tigers and lions infected with SARS-CoV-2, and describes the duration of viral RNA fecal shedding in these cases. This report documents the first known natural transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to animals in the USA, and is the first report of SARS-CoV-2 in non-domestic felids..

Predicting the zoonotic capacity of mammals to transmit SARS-CoV-2

“…Multiple countries (OIE, 2021;Oreshkova et al, 2020;USDA, 2020) Raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) Yes In vivo experiment Lab (Freuling et al, 2020) European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Yes In vivo experiment Lab (Mykytyn et al, 2021) Lion (Panthera leo) Yes Natural infection Multiple countries (Bartlett et al, 2021;OIE, 2021) Tiger (Panthera tigris) Yes Natural infection USA and Sweden (Bartlett et al, 2021;OIE, 2021;USDA, 2020;Wang et al, 2020) Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)* Yes In vivo experiment Lab (Fagre et al, 2020;Griffin et al, 2020) (Schlottau et al, 2020;Shi et al, 2020) Northern treeshrew (Tupaia belangeri) Yes In vivo experiment Lab (Zhao et al, 2020) Snow leopard (Uncia uncia) Yes Natural infection Zoo (Louisville Zoo, 2020) Figure 1. A heatmap summarizing predicted susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 for species with confirmed infection status from in vivo experimental studies or documented natural infections.…”

Assessing the risks of SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife

“…Observations from experimental and natural SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals clearly suggest relatively high susceptibility amongst felids (Felidae family) with human-tofeline transmission recorded in pet cats [54,58,83] and captive wild species such as tigers and lions [55,84], and evidence for transmission amongst domestic cats via direct contact [85] and from airborne virus [40]. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies have been detected in 'stray' cats in Wuhan during the Covid-19 outbreak consistent with human-to-cat transmission occurring outside the domestic setting [57], although possible cross-reactions with other coronaviruses need to be fully assessed.…”

“…Domestic cats naturally infected with SARS-CoV-2 have often been reported as showing none or only mild clinical signs, although some instances of more serious disease have been reported [54,83,85]. Whereas only mild respiratory signs accompanied infection in captive tigers and lions [55,84]. It is therefore unclear whether infection would adversely impact wild felid populations.…”

Host Diversity and Potential Transmission Pathways of SARS-CoV-2 at the Human-Animal Interface

“…On 3 April 2020, an additional Malayan tiger, two Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) housed in the same building but different enclosures, and three African lions (Panthera leo krugeri) developed similar respiratory symptoms [86,112]. The presence of viral RNA in feces was consistent in all of the clinical cases and persisted for up to 35 days after cessation of respiratory symptoms in 1 Amur tiger [176]. Follow-up analysis led to the identification of 9 whole SARS-CoV-2 genomes from tigers, lions, and their keepers [112].…”