Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Environmental Risks / 27.07.2023
Study Raises Concerns About Potential for Deer to Serve as Reservoir for SARS-CoV-2
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Thomas Deliberto, PhD, DVM, APHIS
Wildlife Services One Health Coordinator
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In 2021, USDA launched a pilot study to investigate exposure of wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to SARS-CoV-2, a zoonotic virus and the virus that causes COVID-19. Researchers found that 40% of the blood samples tested had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. This initial study suggested that SARS-CoV-2 could be transmitted from humans to deer, and that deer could potentially serve as a reservoir for the virus.
To better understand the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer, a team of researchers conducted a larger study to collect and analyze respiratory samples from free-ranging white-tailed deer in the United States. The study identified SARS-CoV-2 sequences in white-tailed deer across nearly half of the states in the U.S. The researchers also found that deer could be infected with multiple SARS-CoV-2 lineages, and that these lineages could be transmitted from deer to deer.
In addition, the researchers found three cases of potential virus transmission from white-tailed deer back to humans. This raises concerns about the potential for the virus to continue to evolve in an animal reservoir, and the possibility of future spillover events.
(more…)
Response: In 2021, USDA launched a pilot study to investigate exposure of wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to SARS-CoV-2, a zoonotic virus and the virus that causes COVID-19. Researchers found that 40% of the blood samples tested had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. This initial study suggested that SARS-CoV-2 could be transmitted from humans to deer, and that deer could potentially serve as a reservoir for the virus.
To better understand the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer, a team of researchers conducted a larger study to collect and analyze respiratory samples from free-ranging white-tailed deer in the United States. The study identified SARS-CoV-2 sequences in white-tailed deer across nearly half of the states in the U.S. The researchers also found that deer could be infected with multiple SARS-CoV-2 lineages, and that these lineages could be transmitted from deer to deer.
In addition, the researchers found three cases of potential virus transmission from white-tailed deer back to humans. This raises concerns about the potential for the virus to continue to evolve in an animal reservoir, and the possibility of future spillover events.
(more…)