Analysis of Angiotensin-converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) of Livestock, Pet and Poultry Animals to Determine its Susceptibility to SARS-CoV- 2 Infection.

Background: Novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. It was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and despite the tremendous efforts to control the disease, it has now spread almost all over the world. The interaction of SARSCoV- 2spike protein and its acceptor protein ACE2 is an important issue in determining viral host range and cross-species infection, while the binding capacity of spike protein to ACE2 of different species is unknown.

Objective: The present study has been conducted to determine the susceptibility of livestock, poultry and pets to SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: We evaluated the receptor-utilizing capability of ACE2s from various species by sequence alignment, phylogenetic clustering and protein-ligand interaction studies with the currently known ACE2s utilized by SARS-CoV-2.

Result: In-silico study predicted that SARS-CoV-2 tends to utilize ACE2s of various animal species with varied possible interactions. The probability of the receptor utilization will be greater in horse and poor in chicken, followed by ruminants.

Conclusion: Present study predicted that SARS-CoV-2 tends to utilize ACE2s of various livestock and poultry species with greater probability in equine and poor in chicken. The study may provide important insights into the animal models for SARS-CoV-2 and animal management for COVID- 19 control.