In addition to humans, a wide range of wild, domestic, and captive animals have been documented to have had exposure to SARS-CoV-2, including deer, mink, otters, ferrets, hamsters, gorillas, cats, dogs, lions, and tigers. The COVID-19 virus detected in farmed mink was even shown to directly cause infections in humans, highlighting this animal as a potential reservoir of secondary zoonotic infections.
SARS-CoV-2 has undergone a rapid evolution and many genetic variants have been identified, including several variants of concern. It is that Alpha, Beta, and Gamma acquired substitutions in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein that have been reported to facilitate infectivity in mice and/or rats compared to the original pandemic strain, raising a question. concerns about the potential risk of reverse zoonotic transmissions of emerging variants to rodent species, including those from wild mice and rats.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says animal-to-human transmission is rare, but the lead investigator of a new study called for a closer look at the virus in rats to detect new strains.
According to this document, rats in New York can carry COVID-19. Recent research just published in mBio, an open access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, concluded that these New York rodents, with a population of approximately 8 million animals, are susceptible to at least three variants of COVID. However, the CDC stands by its position that animal-to-human transmission of COVID-19 is rare, noting that in most cases, animals are infected by humans.
There is “no evidence that animals play a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people,” the CDC maintained on its website.
But the study’s lead investigator, Henry Wan, cautioned that the new findings highlight the need for further examination of risk “in rat populations to determine whether the virus is circulating in the animals and evolving into new strains that could pose a risk.” for humans”.
Full note on INFOBAE
