tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
. 2022 Feb 8;119(6):e2121644119.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.2121644119.
Multiple spillovers from humans and onward transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer
Suresh V Kuchipudi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Meera Surendran-Nair[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Rachel M Ruden[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Michele Yon[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ruth H Nissly[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Kurt J Vandegrift[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Rahul K Nelli[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Lingling Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bhushan M Jayarao[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Costas D Maranas[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Nicole Levine[SUP] 2 8 [/SUP], Katriina Willgert[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Andrew J K Conlan[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Randall J Olsen[SUP] 10 11 12 [/SUP], James J Davis[SUP] 13 [/SUP], James M Musser[SUP] 10 11 12 [/SUP], Peter J Hudson[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Vivek Kapur[SUP] 14 8 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Many animal species are susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and could act as reservoirs; however, transmission in free-living animals has not been documented. White-tailed deer, the predominant cervid in North America, are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and experimentally infected fawns can transmit the virus. To test the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 is circulating in deer, 283 retropharyngeal lymph node (RPLN) samples collected from 151 free-living and 132 captive deer in Iowa from April 2020 through January of 2021 were assayed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Ninety-four of the 283 (33.2%) deer samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA as assessed by RT-PCR. Notably, following the November 2020 peak of human cases in Iowa, and coinciding with the onset of winter and the peak deer hunting season, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 80 of 97 (82.5%) RPLN samples collected over a 7-wk period. Whole genome sequencing of all 94 positive RPLN samples identified 12 SARS-CoV-2 lineages, with B.1.2 (n = 51; 54.5%) and B.1.311 (n = 19; 20%) accounting for ∼75% of all samples. The geographic distribution and nesting of clusters of deer and human lineages strongly suggest multiple human-to-deer transmission events followed by subsequent deer-to-deer spread. These discoveries have important implications for the long-term persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Our findings highlight an urgent need for a robust and proactive "One Health" approach to obtain enhanced understanding of the ecology, molecular evolution, and dissemination of SARS-CoV-2.
Keywords: One Health; SARS-CoV-2; animal reservoir; deer; spillover.
. 2022 Feb 8;119(6):e2121644119.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.2121644119.
Multiple spillovers from humans and onward transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer
Suresh V Kuchipudi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Meera Surendran-Nair[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Rachel M Ruden[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Michele Yon[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ruth H Nissly[SUP] 3 2 [/SUP], Kurt J Vandegrift[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Rahul K Nelli[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Lingling Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bhushan M Jayarao[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Costas D Maranas[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Nicole Levine[SUP] 2 8 [/SUP], Katriina Willgert[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Andrew J K Conlan[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Randall J Olsen[SUP] 10 11 12 [/SUP], James J Davis[SUP] 13 [/SUP], James M Musser[SUP] 10 11 12 [/SUP], Peter J Hudson[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Vivek Kapur[SUP] 14 8 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35078920
- DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121644119
Abstract
Many animal species are susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and could act as reservoirs; however, transmission in free-living animals has not been documented. White-tailed deer, the predominant cervid in North America, are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and experimentally infected fawns can transmit the virus. To test the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 is circulating in deer, 283 retropharyngeal lymph node (RPLN) samples collected from 151 free-living and 132 captive deer in Iowa from April 2020 through January of 2021 were assayed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Ninety-four of the 283 (33.2%) deer samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA as assessed by RT-PCR. Notably, following the November 2020 peak of human cases in Iowa, and coinciding with the onset of winter and the peak deer hunting season, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 80 of 97 (82.5%) RPLN samples collected over a 7-wk period. Whole genome sequencing of all 94 positive RPLN samples identified 12 SARS-CoV-2 lineages, with B.1.2 (n = 51; 54.5%) and B.1.311 (n = 19; 20%) accounting for ∼75% of all samples. The geographic distribution and nesting of clusters of deer and human lineages strongly suggest multiple human-to-deer transmission events followed by subsequent deer-to-deer spread. These discoveries have important implications for the long-term persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Our findings highlight an urgent need for a robust and proactive "One Health" approach to obtain enhanced understanding of the ecology, molecular evolution, and dissemination of SARS-CoV-2.
Keywords: One Health; SARS-CoV-2; animal reservoir; deer; spillover.
