SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies in White-Tailed Deer from Texas

Palermo, Pedro M.; Orbegozo, Jeanette; Watts, Douglas M.; Morrill, John C.

doi:10.1089/vbz.2021.0094

Cited by 57 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Notably, a pioneer study by our group demonstrated that WTD are indeed highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and shed high viral titers in the respiratory secretions [10]. The relevance of our findings demonstrating the susceptibility of WTD to SARS-CoV-2 has been recently highlighted by the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in wild WTD sampled in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, and Texas which showed a seroprevalence of ~40% in the sampled populations [11,12]. Furthermore, two independent studies in Iowa [13] and Ohio [14] detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in tissues and respiratory secretions collected from WTD, suggesting actual infections in free-ranging WTD.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…We had also highlighted that the high susceptibility of this species to SARS-CoV-2 combined with the constant interactions with humans could lead to opportunities for human-WTD transmission. This possibility has been recently confirmed by studies demonstrating natural SARS-CoV-2 infections in free-ranging WTD in the U.S. [11][12][13][14]. Several questions regarding these findings remain unanswered, perhaps the most important ones are: 1) Can WTD maintain the virus in the wild?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Interestingly, no infectious virus was recovered from feces collected from inoculated animals between days 2 to 22 pi. These observations are relevant when considered in the context of recent studies demonstrating infection and circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in wild WTD in the U.S. [11][12][13][14]. Our findings suggest that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in WTD is likely to occur mainly through respiratory or oral secretions, and the fact that no infectious virus was recovered from feces further suggests that efficient transmission of the virus would require close contact between infected and susceptible animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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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“…The level of exposure among deer at the captive cervid facility (94.4%) is more than double that which has recently been reported across several studies of free-ranging individuals (9, 12-14); one explanation may be that onward transmission among deer is facilitated by the confined environment. The circulation of SARS-CoV-2 among captive animals could result in eventual spillover to other wildlife species with unknown impact for the conservation and public health, considering the high rates of mutation and recombination observed among coronaviruses (22).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Notably, the animals that were infected by contact shed infectious virus in nasal secretions for up to seven days, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 can be propagated for prolonged periods in a herd after a single infection (8). Approximately 37-40% seroprevalence of wild white-tailed deer to SARS-CoV-2 was reported across three Midwestern states (9) and Texas (12). Additionally, one third of 283 free-living and captive white-tailed deer from Iowa in the post-pandemic period had SARS-CoV-2 RNA in their lymph nodes including several lineages circulating in humans, suggesting multiple spillover events followed by deer-to-deer transmission (13), and over one third (35.8%) of 360 wild deer from Ohio had SARS-CoV-2 positive nasal swabs comprised of several variants, including those that were domininat as well as uncommon in the human population (14).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at one of three captive cervid facilities in Texas

Roundy

Nunez

Thomas

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus) across the United States are increasingly recognized as involved in SARS-CoV-2 transmission cycles. Through a cross-sectional study of 80 deer at three captive cervid facilities in central and southern Texas, we provide evidence of 34 of 36 (94.4%) white-tailed deer at a single captive cervid facility seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 by neutralization assay (PRNT90), with endpoint titers as high as 1280. In contrast, all tested white-tailed deer and axis deer (Axis axis) at two other captive cervid facilities were seronegative, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not detected in respiratory swabs from deer at any of the three facilities. These data support transmission among captive deer that cannot be explained by human contact for each infected animal, as only a subset of the seropositive does had direct human contact. The facility seroprevalence was more than double of that reported from wild deer, suggesting that the confined environment may facilitate transmission. Further exploration of captive cervids and other managed animals for their role in the epizootiology of SARS-CoV-2 is critical for understanding impacts on animal health and the potential for spillback transmission to humans or other animal taxa.

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White-Tailed Deer

Fulbright

2023

Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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White-tailed deer are geographically widespread and occupy a variety of ecosystems from semi-desert shrubland and grasslands to forests. They have a relatively high reproductive potential but recruitment may be limited in semiarid rangelands where annual variation in precipitation is high. They eat browse and forbs but mast may seasonally comprise most of the diet. White-tailed deer select areas with a mixture of woody vegetation and areas dominated by herbaceous vegetation. They use woody vegetation for cover and often forage in adjacent herbaceous-dominated areas. They are highly adaptable and can adjust to changes in vegetation resulting from rangeland management practices; however, excessive grazing reduces habitat quality. Brush management minimally affects white-tailed deer and their habitat when adequate resources such as thermal cover, hiding cover, and browse-and-mast-producing vegetation remain on the landscape. Empirical evidence that creating mosaics of herbaceous-dominated foraging patches and woody cover improves demographics or productivity is equivocal; however, managing for increased spatial heterogeneity in vegetation may increase fawn survival. Chronic wasting disease is a major threat to white-tailed deer populations. White-tailed deer use behavioral adaptations to reduce excessive heat loads resulting from climate change in the southern part of their range. Paradoxically, populations are expanding in the northern part of their range in part because of milder winters. Hunting is the primary tool to manage white-tailed deer populations. Combining recreational hunting with livestock production increases revenue for ranchers. Ironically, white-tailed deer are often a nuisance in eastern forests, but they can be an economically important asset on rangelands.

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SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies in White-Tailed Deer from Texas

Cited by 57 publications

References 8 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

High seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at one of three captive cervid facilities in Texas

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