Animal reservoirs…
09-04-2021, 08:35 AM
#1
Perennial Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 11,501
Animal reservoirs…
We are finally getting to the stage where people are taking a real look at potential reservoir animals, finally because clearly human to human airborne transmission is currently the real issue. But it is increasingly obvious that a whole lot of domestic and wild animals can get COVID-19 with varying degrees of actual illness and varying degrees of viral shedding while infected. Currently we know with certainty only that two closely related types of animal, minks and ferrets, have been demonstrated to be able to reinfect humans, but many other species are starting ti be looked at.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1....454326v1.full
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/9/21-0774_article
While it is unlikely that animal to human transmission will ever constitute a major mode of human infection, the multitude of animal species susceptible to COVID-19, including domestic cats and dogs, suggests that this could remain a fertile ground for the development of new coronavirus variants.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1....454326v1.full
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/9/21-0774_article
While it is unlikely that animal to human transmission will ever constitute a major mode of human infection, the multitude of animal species susceptible to COVID-19, including domestic cats and dogs, suggests that this could remain a fertile ground for the development of new coronavirus variants.
09-04-2021, 08:55 AM
#2
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,275
Originally Posted by Excargodog
While it is unlikely that animal to human transmission will ever constitute a major mode of human infection, the multitude of animal species susceptible to COVID-19, including domestic cats and dogs, suggests that this could remain a fertile ground for the development of new coronavirus variants.
That would be a real threat *if* it got established in very, very large livestock populations which were *also* impractical to manage or cull... that's the Asian pigs and chickens which serve as the flu reservoir/mutation laboratory.
Rare exotics are a non-issue and things like cattle can and will be easily culled and managed if it were to happen. Just like we do with anthrax, BSE, foot-and-mouth, etc.
09-04-2021, 09:24 AM
#3
Perennial Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 11,501
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1230682.shtml
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00531-z
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but the opinions of other responsible people differs. It would be irresponsible to not even look.
Could white-tailed deer in US become a future reservoir of COVID-19?
By
Zhang Hui
Published: Aug 05, 2021 07:02 PM
Deer. Photo: VCG
Forty percent of the white-tailed deer in four US states in 2021 have been found with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which indicates that they have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study. Experts warned that large number of deer population infected with the virus may make deer population a host to the virus which can then pass the virus to humans, triggering a new wave of the pandemic.
The new study, conducted by researchers from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), analyzed 624 serum samples from white-tailed deer in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, and found that antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were tested in 152 samples from 2021, about 40 percent
By
Zhang Hui
Published: Aug 05, 2021 07:02 PM
Forty percent of the white-tailed deer in four US states in 2021 have been found with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which indicates that they have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study. Experts warned that large number of deer population infected with the virus may make deer population a host to the virus which can then pass the virus to humans, triggering a new wave of the pandemic.
The new study, conducted by researchers from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), analyzed 624 serum samples from white-tailed deer in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, and found that antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were tested in 152 samples from 2021, about 40 percent
- NEWS FEATURE
- 02 March 2021
The search for animals harbouring coronavirus — and why it matters
Scientists are monitoring pets, livestock and wildlife to work out where SARS-CoV-2 could hide, and whether it could resurge.You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but the opinions of other responsible people differs. It would be irresponsible to not even look.
Last edited by Excargodog; 09-04-2021 at 09:43 AM.
09-04-2021, 10:20 AM
#4
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,275
Originally Posted by Excargodog
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1230682.shtml
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00531-z
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but the opinions of other responsible people differs. It would be irresponsible to not even look.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00531-z
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but the opinions of other responsible people differs. It would be irresponsible to not even look.
I just said there's no sign that it's getting into the kind of livestock populations where it might be uncontrollable.
Deer are not a significant vector to humans for anything (CJD is a very small but real risk for those who hunt and comsume wild venison) and are not in close contact with the vast majority of humanity. If it becames a problem, they would simply stop recreational hunting of affected populations (population control could still be performed by professional hunters who would dispose of carcasses appropriately).
Mink, ferrets, deer, saber tooth tigers none of that is going to vector much to humans once we know there's a threat and take obvious mitigation actions.
Pigs and chickens, I'd worry about that but IIRC pigs at least have already been shown to not support covid very well.
I thought the tinfoil flavor of the week was GoF from bioweapons labs? Why do we need to worry about nature anyway?
09-04-2021, 10:44 AM
#5
Perennial Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 11,501
https://theconversation.com/covid-wh...in-pets-165488
an excerpt:
There is currently no major risk from our pet cats and dogs that would justify specific control methods such as culling or quarantine. In the longer term, though, there is a concern about the appearance of new variants. These may be more easily transmitted (like the alpha variant) or more able to infect vaccinated or previously infected people (like the beta variant). Variants may cause more severe disease, or they may cause less severe disease and become more like the normal winter colds or flu.
09-04-2021, 11:48 AM
#6
:-)
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,339
It definitely is a risk, since coronaviruses have high fidelity exoribonuclease proof reading, random mutation is eliminated, while recombination drives the evolution of the virus. Any type of new reservoir gives Covid chances to evolve. However, interactions with sub-optimal antibodies will still be the main driver of immune escape in humans.
09-04-2021, 12:07 PM
#7
Perennial Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 11,501
Originally Posted by Mesabah
It definitely is a risk, since coronaviruses have high fidelity exoribonuclease proof reading, random mutation is eliminated, while recombination drives the evolution of the virus. Any type of new reservoir gives Covid chances to evolve. However, interactions with sub-optimal antibodies will still be the main driver of immune escape in humans.
Oh, wait…
09-04-2021, 12:17 PM
#8
Perennial Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 11,501
SEATTLE — New research on the potential of human to bat coronavirus transmission is reinforcing Washington’s decision to resume letting scientists work hands-on with bats.
The U.S. Geological Survey released results of a study this week, which found researchers working with bats have a strikingly low risk of transmitting COVID-19 to the animals. Because the COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have jumped to humans from bats in China, there have been concerns over the potential for it to jump back to bats in North America, potentially decimating populations.
Several other species have been confirmed to catch COVID (tigers, house cats, dogs, gorillas) and in some cases like farmed minks, humans are believed to have both infected and contracted the disease from the animals.
USGS found researchers conducting winter studies had a 1 in 1,000 chance of transmitting COVID-19 to bats while working in a colony and taking no additional precautions, and the risk drops to less than 1 in 3,333 when adding PPE and pre-visit testing.
The study followed the potential for human-to-bat transmission, not bat-to-human. Bats in the U.S. are not known to carry the novel coronavirus.
The U.S. Geological Survey released results of a study this week, which found researchers working with bats have a strikingly low risk of transmitting COVID-19 to the animals. Because the COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have jumped to humans from bats in China, there have been concerns over the potential for it to jump back to bats in North America, potentially decimating populations.
Several other species have been confirmed to catch COVID (tigers, house cats, dogs, gorillas) and in some cases like farmed minks, humans are believed to have both infected and contracted the disease from the animals.
USGS found researchers conducting winter studies had a 1 in 1,000 chance of transmitting COVID-19 to bats while working in a colony and taking no additional precautions, and the risk drops to less than 1 in 3,333 when adding PPE and pre-visit testing.
The study followed the potential for human-to-bat transmission, not bat-to-human. Bats in the U.S. are not known to carry the novel coronavirus.
And while 1 in 1000 isn’t a lot, how many spelunkers does the US have? Or Canada or Mexico, since these little guys don’t have ADSB-out and seem untroubled bu international borders?
Last edited by Excargodog; 09-04-2021 at 12:39 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
