tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Viruses
. 2024 Mar 28;16(4):521.
doi: 10.3390/v16040521. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a Zoo-Kept Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Tatjana Chan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Julia Ginders[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Evelyn Kuhlmeier[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marina L Meli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eva Bönzli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Theres Meili[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Julia Hüttl[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jean-Michel Hatt[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Karin Hindenlang Clerc[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Anja Kipar[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Fabia Wyss[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Christian Wenker[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Marie-Pierre Ryser-Degiorgis[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Cecilia Valenzuela Agüí[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Christian Urban[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Christian Beisel[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Tanja Stadler[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Regina Hofmann-Lehmann[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Many different animal species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, including a few Canidae (domestic dog and raccoon dog). So far, only experimental evidence is available concerning SARS-CoV-2 infections in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). This is the first report of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in a sample from a red fox. The RT-qPCR-positive fox was zoo-kept together with another fox and two bears in the Swiss Canton of Zurich. Combined material from a conjunctival and nasal swab collected for canine distemper virus diagnostics tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA with Ct values of 36.9 (E gene assay) and 35.7 (RdRp gene assay). The sample was analysed for SARS-CoV-2 within a research project testing residual routine diagnostic samples from different animal species submitted between spring 2020 and December 2022 to improve knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 infections within different animal species and investigate their potential role in a One Health context. Within this project, 246 samples from 153 different animals from Swiss zoos and other wild animal species all tested SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR and/or serologically negative so far, except for the reported fox. The source of SARS-CoV-2 in the fox is unknown. The fox disappeared within the naturally structured enclosure, and the cadaver was not found. No further control measures were undertaken.
Keywords: COVID-19; One Health; red fox; wild animal species; wildlife; zoo animals.
. 2024 Mar 28;16(4):521.
doi: 10.3390/v16040521. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a Zoo-Kept Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Tatjana Chan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Julia Ginders[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Evelyn Kuhlmeier[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marina L Meli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eva Bönzli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Theres Meili[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Julia Hüttl[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jean-Michel Hatt[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Karin Hindenlang Clerc[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Anja Kipar[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Fabia Wyss[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Christian Wenker[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Marie-Pierre Ryser-Degiorgis[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Cecilia Valenzuela Agüí[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Christian Urban[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Christian Beisel[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Tanja Stadler[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Regina Hofmann-Lehmann[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 38675864
- PMCID: PMC11054100
- DOI: 10.3390/v16040521
Many different animal species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, including a few Canidae (domestic dog and raccoon dog). So far, only experimental evidence is available concerning SARS-CoV-2 infections in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). This is the first report of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in a sample from a red fox. The RT-qPCR-positive fox was zoo-kept together with another fox and two bears in the Swiss Canton of Zurich. Combined material from a conjunctival and nasal swab collected for canine distemper virus diagnostics tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA with Ct values of 36.9 (E gene assay) and 35.7 (RdRp gene assay). The sample was analysed for SARS-CoV-2 within a research project testing residual routine diagnostic samples from different animal species submitted between spring 2020 and December 2022 to improve knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 infections within different animal species and investigate their potential role in a One Health context. Within this project, 246 samples from 153 different animals from Swiss zoos and other wild animal species all tested SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR and/or serologically negative so far, except for the reported fox. The source of SARS-CoV-2 in the fox is unknown. The fox disappeared within the naturally structured enclosure, and the cadaver was not found. No further control measures were undertaken.
Keywords: COVID-19; One Health; red fox; wild animal species; wildlife; zoo animals.