Dozens of captive animal species have been found infected or proven able to be experimentally infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The virus has also been found in over a dozen wild animal species.
Most animal species that can get the virus have not been proven to be able to spread it back to humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that there is low risk that the virus would spread from animals to people but further studies are yet to be conducted. [1]
Animal | Date detected (or publicized) | Spread amongst themselves? | Spreads to humans? | Captive or wild infection? | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bank vole | April 2021 | No | Captive | [2] | |
Bat, Lesser horseshoe | (July 2021) (United Kingdom) | Wild | |||
Big hairy armadillo | March 2022 | Captive | [4] | ||
Binturong | October 2021 | Captive | [5] | ||
Black-tailed marmoset | January 2022 | Wild | [6] | ||
Bobcat | November 2022 | Wild | [7] [8] | ||
Brown rat | (January 2023) | Wild | [8] | ||
Canada lynx | December 2021 | Captive | [9] | ||
Cat | April 2020 | Yes | Yes [10] | Captive | [11] [12] |
Cattle | (December 2020) | Captive | [13] | ||
Common marmoset | December 2020 | Captive | [14] [15] | ||
Civet | [16] | ||||
Cottontail rabbit | November 2022 | No | Wild | [17] | |
Cougar/Mountain Lion/Puma | July 2020 | Captive | [18] | ||
Crab-eating macaque | April 2020 | Captive | [19] | ||
Dog | March 2020 | No | Captive | [12] [20] | |
Domestic rabbit | October 2020 | No | Captive | [21] | |
Eastern deer mouse | June 2021 | Yes | Captive and Wild | [22] | |
Eastern gray squirrel | November 2022 | Wild | [7] [8] | ||
Eurasian Beaver | August 2021 | Captive | [23] | ||
Eurasian lynx | November 2021 | Captive | [24] | ||
European fallow deer | February 2022 | Wild | [25] | ||
Ferret | April 2020 | Yes | Captive | [11] [26] | |
Fishing cat | October 2021 | Captive | [5] | ||
Fruit bat, Egyptian | September 2020 | Yes | Captive | [27] | |
Giant Anteater | (August 2022) | Captive | [4] | ||
Golden hamster | May 2020 | Yes | Yes [28] | Captive | [29] |
Gorilla | January 2021 | Captive | [30] | ||
Hamadryas baboon | December 2020 | Captive | [14] [15] | ||
Hippopotamus | December 2021 | Captive | [31] | ||
Indian leopard | October 2021 | Wild | [32] | ||
Lion | October 2020 | Captive | [33] [34] [35] | ||
Tiger | April 2020 | Unconfirmed | Captive | [36] [34] | |
Mandrill | August 2022 | Captive | [13] | ||
Mink | October 2020 | Yes | Yes [37] [38] | Captive and Wild | [39] |
Monkey, African green | September 2020 | Captive | [40] | ||
Mouse, Western european house | (January 2022) | Captive (lab) | [41] | ||
Otter, Asian small-clawed | April 2021 | Captive | [42] | ||
Pangolin (SARS-CoV2-Related Virus—as opposed to SARS-CoV2 specifically—antibodies detected; see "Wild or Captive infection" column) | February – July 2020 (Thailand) | Wild (Study concluded only that evidence of past infection with SARS-CoV2-Related Virus—as opposed to SARS-CoV2 specifically—was detected due to following findings: While Neutralizing Antibodies highly specific to SARS-CoV2 were found in small sample, it’s highly plausible that the antibodies were cross-reacting antibodies to other SARS-CoV2-Related Virus(es); Tested negative for virus) | [43] | ||
Raccoon | November 2022 | Wild | [7] [8] | ||
Raccoon dog | December 2020 | Yes | Captive | [44] | |
Red fox | November 2022 | Wild | [7] [8] | ||
Rhesus macaque | May 2020 | Captive | [14] [45] | ||
Ring-tailed coati | October 2021 | Captive | [46] | ||
Snow leopard | December 2020 | Captive | [18] [47] | ||
Spotted hyena | November 2021 | Captive | [48] | ||
Squirrel monkey | July 2022 | Captive | [49] | ||
Striped skunk | November 2022 | Wild | [7] [8] | ||
Swan | Summer 2022 | Undisclosed | [50] | ||
Virginia opossum | November 2022 | Wild | [7] [8] | ||
West Indian manatee | (January 2022) | Captive | [4] | ||
White-footed mouse | November 2022 | Wild | [7] [8] | ||
White-tailed deer | December 2020 | Yes | Yes [51] [52] | Captive and Wild | [53] [54] |
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the virus SARS-CoV-1, the first identified strain of the SARS-related coronavirus. The first known cases occurred in November 2002, and the syndrome caused the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak. In the 2010s, Chinese scientists traced the virus through the intermediary of Asian palm civets to cave-dwelling horseshoe bats in Xiyang Yi Ethnic Township, Yunnan.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an enzyme that can be found either attached to the membrane of cells (mACE2) in the intestines, kidney, testis, gallbladder, and heart or in a soluble form (sACE2). Both membrane bound and soluble ACE2 are integral parts of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) that exists to keep the body's blood pressure in check. While mACE2 does not appear to factor into the harmful phase of RAAS, its existence is vital in order for the enzyme ADAM17 to cleave its extracellular domain to create soluble ACE2 (sACE2). Soluble ACE2 lowers blood pressure by catalyzing the hydrolysis of angiotensin II into angiotensin (1–7) which in turns binds to MasR receptors creating localized vasodilation and hence decreasing blood pressure. This decrease in blood pressure makes the entire process a promising drug target for treating cardiovascular diseases.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1), previously known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), is a strain of coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the respiratory illness responsible for the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak. It is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus that infects the epithelial cells within the lungs. The virus enters the host cell by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. It infects humans, bats, and palm civets. The SARS-CoV-1 outbreak was largely brought under control by simple public health measures. Testing people with symptoms, isolating and quarantining suspected cases, and restricting travel all had an effect. SARS-CoV-1 was most transmissible when patients were sick, so its spread could be effectively suppressed by isolating patients with symptoms.
The Emerging Pathogens Institute (EPI) is an interdisciplinary research institution associated with the University of Florida. The institute focuses on fusing key disciplines to develop outreach, education, and research capabilities designed to preserve the region's health and economy, as well as to prevent or contain new and re-emerging diseases. Researchers within the institute work in more than 30 different countries around the world, with over 250 affiliated faculty members stemming from 11 University of Florida colleges, centers, and institutes. The 90,000-square-foot building includes laboratories and collaborative space for bioinformatics and mathematical modeling.Ebrahim Ahmadpour
Airborne transmission or aerosol transmission is transmission of an infectious disease through small particles suspended in the air. Infectious diseases capable of airborne transmission include many of considerable importance both in human and veterinary medicine. The relevant infectious agent may be viruses, bacteria, or fungi, and they may be spread through breathing, talking, coughing, sneezing, raising of dust, spraying of liquids, flushing toilets, or any activities which generate aerosol particles or droplets. This is the transmission of diseases via transmission of an infectious agent, and does not include diseases caused by air pollution.
Spillover infection, also known as pathogen spillover and spillover event, occurs when a reservoir population with a high pathogen prevalence comes into contact with a novel host population. The pathogen is transmitted from the reservoir population and may or may not be transmitted within the host population. Due to climate change and land use expansion, the risk of viral spillover is predicted to significantly increase.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the provisional name 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), and has also been called human coronavirus 2019. First identified in the city of Wuhan, Hubei, China, the World Health Organization designated the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern from January 30, 2020, to May 5, 2023. SARS‑CoV‑2 is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus that is contagious in humans.
The Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences is a research institute on virology administered by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which reports to the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The institute is one of nine independent organisations in the Wuhan Branch of the CAS. Located in Jiangxia District, Wuhan, Hubei, it was founded in 1956 and opened mainland China's first biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory in 2018. The institute has collaborated with the Galveston National Laboratory in the United States, the Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie in France, and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Canada. The institute has been an active premier research center for the study of coronaviruses.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID-19 are variable depending on the type of variant contracted, ranging from mild symptoms to a potentially fatal illness. Common symptoms include coughing, fever, loss of smell (anosmia) and taste (ageusia), with less common ones including headaches, nasal congestion and runny nose, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhea, eye irritation, and toes swelling or turning purple, and in moderate to severe cases, breathing difficulties. People with the COVID-19 infection may have different symptoms, and their symptoms may change over time. Three common clusters of symptoms have been identified: one respiratory symptom cluster with cough, sputum, shortness of breath, and fever; a musculoskeletal symptom cluster with muscle and joint pain, headache, and fatigue; and a cluster of digestive symptoms with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. In people without prior ear, nose, or throat disorders, loss of taste combined with loss of smell is associated with COVID-19 and is reported in as many as 88% of symptomatic cases.
The transmission of COVID-19 is the passing of coronavirus disease 2019 from person to person. COVID-19 is mainly transmitted when people breathe in air contaminated by droplets/aerosols and small airborne particles containing the virus. Infected people exhale those particles as they breathe, talk, cough, sneeze, or sing. Transmission is more likely the closer people are. However, infection can occur over longer distances, particularly indoors.
The history of coronaviruses is an account of the discovery of the diseases caused by coronaviruses and the diseases they cause. It starts with the first report of a new type of upper-respiratory tract disease among chickens in North Dakota, U.S., in 1931. The causative agent was identified as a virus in 1933. By 1936, the disease and the virus were recognised as unique from other viral disease. They became known as infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), but later officially renamed as Avian coronavirus.
Bat coronavirus RaTG13 is a SARS-like betacoronavirus identified in the droppings of the horseshoe bat Rhinolophus affinis. It was discovered in 2013 in bat droppings from a mining cave near the town of Tongguan in Mojiang county in Yunnan, China. In February 2020, it was identified as the closest known relative of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, sharing 96.1% nucleotide identity. However, in 2022, scientists found three closer matches in bats found 530 km south, in Feuang, Laos, designated as BANAL-52, BANAL-103 and BANAL-236.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected animals directly and indirectly. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is zoonotic, which likely to have originated from animals such as bats and pangolins. Human impact on wildlife and animal habitats may be causing such spillover events to become much more likely. The largest incident to date was the culling of 14 to 17 million mink in Denmark after it was discovered that they were infected with a mutant strain of the virus.
The COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) was a group of public health agencies and academic institutions in the United Kingdom created in April 2020 to collect, sequence and analyse genomes of SARS-CoV-2 as part of COVID-19 pandemic response. The consortium comprised the UK's four public health agencies, National Health Service organisations, academic partners and the Wellcome Sanger Institute. The consortium was known for first identifying the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant in November 2020. As of January 2021, 45% of all SARS-CoV-2 sequences uploaded to the GISAID sequencing database originated from COG-UK.
There are many variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Some are believed, or have been stated, to be of particular importance due to their potential for increased transmissibility, increased virulence, or reduced effectiveness of vaccines against them. These variants contribute to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been efforts by scientists, governments, and others to determine the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Most scientists agree that, as with many other pandemics in human history, the virus is likely derived from a bat-borne virus transmitted to humans via another animal in nature or during wildlife trade such at that in food markets. Many other explanations, including several conspiracy theories, have been proposed. Some scientists and politicians have speculated that SARS-CoV-2 was accidentally released from a laboratory. This theory is not supported by evidence.
The COVID-19 lab leak theory, or lab leak hypothesis, is the idea that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, came from a laboratory. The claim is highly controversial; most scientists believe the virus spilled into human populations through natural zoonosis, similar to the SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV outbreaks, and consistent with other pandemics in human history. Available evidence suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was originally harbored by bats, and spread to humans from infected wild animals, functioning as an intermediate host, at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019. Several candidate animal species have been identified as potential intermediate hosts. There is no evidence SARS-CoV-2 existed in any laboratory prior to the pandemic, or that any suspicious biosecurity incidents happened in any laboratory.
Spike (S) glycoprotein is the largest of the four major structural proteins found in coronaviruses. The spike protein assembles into trimers that form large structures, called spikes or peplomers, that project from the surface of the virion. The distinctive appearance of these spikes when visualized using negative stain transmission electron microscopy, "recalling the solar corona", gives the virus family its main name.
COVID-19 is predicted to become an endemic disease by many experts. The observed behavior of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, suggests it is unlikely it will die out, and the lack of a COVID-19 vaccine that provides long-lasting immunity against infection means it cannot immediately be eradicated; thus, a future transition to an endemic phase appears probable. In an endemic phase, people would continue to become infected and ill, but in relatively stable numbers. Such a transition may take years or decades. Precisely what would constitute an endemic phase is contested.
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