TY - JOUR
T1 - SARS-CoV-2 infection in free-ranging white-tailed deer
AU - Hale, Vanessa L.
AU - Dennis, Patricia M.
AU - McBride, Dillon S.
AU - Nolting, Jacqueline M.
AU - Madden, Christopher
AU - Huey, Devra
AU - Ehrlich, Margot
AU - Grieser, Jennifer
AU - Winston, Jenessa
AU - Lombardi, Dusty
AU - Gibson, Stormy
AU - Saif, Linda
AU - Killian, Mary L.
AU - Lantz, Kristina
AU - Tell, Rachel M.
AU - Torchetti, Mia
AU - Robbe-Austerman, Suelee
AU - Nelson, Martha I.
AU - Faith, Seth A.
AU - Bowman, Andrew S.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements This work was supported by The Ohio State University Infectious Diseases Institute and The Ohio State University Center of Microbiome Science (Targeted Investment: eSCOUT – Environmental Surveillance for COVID-19 in Ohio: Understanding Transmission), Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services under contract HHSN272201400006C and HHSN272201400008C, and the NIAID Intramural Research Program. We thank H. Cochran, E. Ohl, A. Cleggett, S. Treglia, A. M. Williams, F. Savona, J. W. Smith, D. Sizemore and the Cleveland Metroparks Deer Management Team. The content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government or imply endorsement of any products.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by The Ohio State University Infectious Diseases Institute and The Ohio State University Center of Microbiome Science (Targeted Investment: eSCOUT ? Environmental Surveillance for COVID-19 in Ohio: Understanding Transmission), Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services under contract HHSN272201400006C and HHSN272201400008C, and the NIAID Intramural Research Program. We thank H. Cochran, E. Ohl, A. Cleggett, S. Treglia, A. M. Williams, F. Savona, J. W. Smith, D. Sizemore and the Cleveland Metroparks Deer Management Team. The content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government or imply endorsement of any products.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.
PY - 2022/2/17
Y1 - 2022/2/17
N2 - Humans have infected a wide range of animals with SARS-CoV-21–5, but the establishment of a new natural animal reservoir has not been observed. Here we document that free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are highly susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, are exposed to multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants from humans and are capable of sustaining transmission in nature. Using real-time PCR with reverse transcription, we detected SARS-CoV-2 in more than one-third (129 out of 360, 35.8%) of nasal swabs obtained from O. virginianus in northeast Ohio in the USA during January to March 2021. Deer in six locations were infected with three SARS-CoV-2 lineages (B.1.2, B.1.582 and B.1.596). The B.1.2 viruses, dominant in humans in Ohio at the time, infected deer in four locations. We detected probable deer-to-deer transmission of B.1.2, B.1.582 and B.1.596 viruses, enabling the virus to acquire amino acid substitutions in the spike protein (including the receptor-binding domain) and ORF1 that are observed infrequently in humans. No spillback to humans was observed, but these findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 viruses have been transmitted in wildlife in the USA, potentially opening new pathways for evolution. There is an urgent need to establish comprehensive ‘One Health’ programmes to monitor the environment, deer and other wildlife hosts globally.
AB - Humans have infected a wide range of animals with SARS-CoV-21–5, but the establishment of a new natural animal reservoir has not been observed. Here we document that free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are highly susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, are exposed to multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants from humans and are capable of sustaining transmission in nature. Using real-time PCR with reverse transcription, we detected SARS-CoV-2 in more than one-third (129 out of 360, 35.8%) of nasal swabs obtained from O. virginianus in northeast Ohio in the USA during January to March 2021. Deer in six locations were infected with three SARS-CoV-2 lineages (B.1.2, B.1.582 and B.1.596). The B.1.2 viruses, dominant in humans in Ohio at the time, infected deer in four locations. We detected probable deer-to-deer transmission of B.1.2, B.1.582 and B.1.596 viruses, enabling the virus to acquire amino acid substitutions in the spike protein (including the receptor-binding domain) and ORF1 that are observed infrequently in humans. No spillback to humans was observed, but these findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 viruses have been transmitted in wildlife in the USA, potentially opening new pathways for evolution. There is an urgent need to establish comprehensive ‘One Health’ programmes to monitor the environment, deer and other wildlife hosts globally.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85121663901&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41586-021-04353-x
DO - 10.1038/s41586-021-04353-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 34942632
AN - SCOPUS:85121663901
SN - 0028-0836
VL - 602
SP - 481
EP - 486
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
IS - 7897
ER -