All articles tagged with #animal transmission
Scientists have discovered the first ancient Yersinia pestis genome in a 4,000-year-old sheep from Russia, suggesting livestock played a role in spreading the Bronze Age plague across Eurasia, predating the flea-borne transmission seen in later outbreaks like the Black Death.
A study at Belo Horizonte Zoo in Brazil found that 19.1% of tested animals were positive for SARS-CoV-2, likely contracted from humans. Researchers identified Alpha and Omicron variants in animals like wolves, deer, and gorillas, suggesting human-to-animal transmission. The findings highlight the need for continuous monitoring and genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife to understand transmission dynamics and prevent future zoonotic outbreaks.
A study conducted by Ohio State University has found that the COVID-19 virus is mutating in white-tailed deer, with over 10% of nasal swabs collected from deer in Ohio testing positive for the virus. Genetic analysis revealed that at least 30 of these infections in deer were transmitted from humans. Deer can carry the virus for up to nine months, potentially allowing for further replication and mutation. This highlights the need for continued vigilance and response efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 between humans and animals.
A study from the American Society for Microbiology reveals that domestic cats can contract and spread SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, to other cats and contaminate their environment. The study found that cats are susceptible to the virus and can efficiently transmit it to their peers. The average duration of infectiousness was slightly more than one-third of a day. The primary mode of transmission is human-to-human through respiratory droplets, but there is concern about humans transmitting the virus to wildlife, particularly to species that are already endangered.
Chinese scientists have published the first peer-reviewed study of biological evidence gathered from the Huanan seafood and wildlife market, which has been linked to the outbreak of Covid-19. The research reveals swabs that tested positive for the virus also contained genetic material from wild animals, providing further evidence that the disease was initially transmitted from an infected animal to a human. However, the study falls short of definitive proof of how the outbreak started, and it remains unclear why it took three years for the genetic content of the samples to be made public. The lab leak theory is also gaining ground among authorities in the US.
A new analysis by an international team of researchers supports the theory that live animals traded at the Huanan Market in Wuhan, China, could have passed the coronavirus to humans, pointing to a natural origin for the Covid-19 pandemic. The swabs collected from the market contained traces of DNA from animals known to be susceptible to infection, including raccoon dogs, red foxes, rabbits, cats, and dogs. The findings support the theory that there wasn’t a single spillover event from animals to humans but probably several, centered at the market, that eventually launched Covid-19 into the wider world.
A new analysis of genetic information suggests that raccoon dogs being sold at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, could have been carrying and shedding the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the time, potentially making them a source of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings, which have not been published, were presented to the World Health Organization’s Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens. The lab-leak versus natural origins debate continues, with proponents of the lab-leak theory arguing that COVID-19 originated from a Chinese research lab, while opponents argue that there isn’t enough evidence to suggest there was a lab leak.