Researchers identify nearly 20 infections in white-tailed deer living in Staten Island district: ‘So it may evolve into new variants’
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Nearly 20 Omicron infections have been identified in white-tailed deer living in the borough of Staten Island, New York. This is the first evidence of species jumping related to the most recent variant of concern, a phenomenon called spillover in which a pathogen moves from one animal species (in this case, humans) to a new host species (white-tailed deer.) ).
The discovery comes from a research team at Pennsylvania State University that, between December 2021 and January 2022, analyzed blood samples and nasal swabs from 131 white-tailed deer, revealing that nearly 15% (19 specimens) had antibodies to Sars -Cov-2. ” It is important to note – the authors of the survey write in their pre-publication report on BioRxiv – That Sars-Cov-2 RNA was detected in nasal swabs from 7 of 68 (10.3%) deer sampled and whole genome sequencing identified that the Omicron variant circulates among white-tailed deer on Staten Island.” . Analyses to investigate the genetic origin of the virus also revealed that “Omicron sequences in deer clustered closely with other Omicron sequences recently reported in human infections in New York and elsewhere, and are consistent with spillover from humans to deer” .
This is not the first time Sars-Cov-2 infections have been detected in white-tailed deer. In a study last year, researchers at Pennsylvania State University identified the virus in about one-third of white-tailed deer sampled in Iowa between September 2020 and January 2021. And another research team also identified it in one-third of deer sampled in Ohio. between January and March 2021. Coronavirus infections in white-tailed deer have been reported in 15 U.S. states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Thus, it may evolve into new variants.”
” This level of infection was not expected – said Suresh Kuchipudi, lead author of the new study and associate director of the Pennsylvania State University Animal Diagnostics Laboratory. It was pretty surprising, and pretty disturbing too” .
Researchers are concerned that deer could serve as a reservoir for Sars-Cov-2. And, in the worst case, that the virus could evolve into a greater immune evasion capability, then return to humans (spillback) as a more dangerous variant. ” Circulation of the virus in an animal population always increases the possibility of spillover, but more importantly it provides greater opportunities for the virus to evolve into new variants – added Kuchipudi -. ET qWhen a virus mutates completely, it can escape current vaccines” .
Deer are not the only animals infected with Sars-Cov-2. The virus has also been found in cats, dogs, ferrets, mink, tigers, lions, pigs and rabbits, but infections in white-tailed deer are of concern to experts because, in addition to being highly susceptible to infection, white-tailed deer are particularly widespread in the United States and live in close proximity to humans. For now, however, there is no evidence that wild deer can transmit the virus to humans, but the new data highlight ” the urgent need for comprehensive surveillance of susceptible animal species to identify ecological transmission networks and to assess potential risks of return to humansConclude the researchers.
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