AI Article Synopsis
- - SARS-CoV-2 is a highly transmissible coronavirus that infects humans and can also impact animal species, with its basic reproduction number being higher than that of other coronaviruses.
- - The first detection of SARS-CoV-2 in snow leopards occurred in a Kentucky zoo in 2020, revealing strains in these animals that closely matched those found in humans.
- - One snow leopard shed the virus in its feces for up to four weeks, raising concerns about possible animal-to-animal transmission, suggesting further investigation into the virus's presence in wildlife is necessary.
Article Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is one of seven coronaviruses known to infect humans. Different from other concerned coronavirus and influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2 has a higher basic reproduction number and thus transmits more efficiently among hosts. Testing animals for SARS-CoV-2 may help decipher virus reservoirs, transmission and pathogenesis. Here, we report the first detection of SARS-CoV-2 in three snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in a zoo in Kentucky in 2020, the first year of the pandemic. Sequence analysis revealed that snow leopard SARS-CoV-2 strains were non-variant B.1.2 lineage and closely correlated with human strains. One snow leopard shed SARS-CoV-2 in faeces up to 4 weeks. Based on clinical signs and viral shedding periods and levels in the three snow leopards, animal-to-animal transmission events could not be excluded. Further testing of SARS-CoV-2 in animals is needed.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9349399 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tbed.14625 | DOI Listing |
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