Department of Animal Health and Safety of Animal Products, Directorate General Control Policy, Federal Agency for Safety of the Food Chain, Brussels, Belgium.
Staff Direction for Risk Assessment, Directorate General Control Policy, Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, Brussels, Belgium.
Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022 May;69(3):986-996. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14131. Epub 2021 May 26.
The aim of this review paper is to evaluate the putative susceptibilities of different free-ranging wild animal species in Belgium to SARS-CoV-2 and provide a risk assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection in those animals. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural SARS-CoV-2 infections have mainly been confirmed in domestic and production animals, and in wild animals kept in captivity, although the numbers remain limited when compared to human cases. Recently, the first SARS-CoV-2 infections in presumably escaped minks found in the wild have been detected, further addressing the much-feared scenario of transmission of the virus to animals living in the wild and its consequences. Considering the most likely origin of the virus being a wild animal and the putative susceptibilities of free-ranging wild animal species to SARS-CoV-2, the risk of infection with possible establishment of the virus in these populations has to be investigated closely. The authors conclude that most attention should be given to surveillance and awareness-raising activities for SARS-CoV-2 infection in wild mustelids, bats, wild canids and felids, particularly these collected in wildlife rescue centres. People involved in frequent and close contact with wild animals should take all necessary precautionary measures to protect wild animals against exposure to the virus. More than one year after the first detection of SARS-CoV-2 in humans, the time has come to increase investments in research and surveillance activities in animals, including in free-ranging wild animals, as part of a One Health control of this pandemic. This study focussing on Belgium could be helpful for other countries with similar animal densities and ecosystems.
本文旨在评估比利时不同野生动物对 SARS-CoV-2 的易感性，并对这些动物感染 SARS-CoV-2 的风险进行评估。自 COVID-19 大流行开始以来，SARS-CoV-2 的自然感染主要在家庭饲养和生产动物中得到证实，在圈养的野生动物中也有感染，但与人类病例相比，数量仍然有限。最近，在野生环境中发现的疑似逃逸的水貂中首次检测到 SARS-CoV-2 感染，这进一步证实了病毒传播到野生动物并产生后果的可怕情景。考虑到病毒最有可能的来源是野生动物，以及野生动物对 SARS-CoV-2 的易感性，必须密切调查这些种群感染病毒的风险，以及病毒可能在这些种群中建立的风险。作者得出结论，大多数注意力应集中在监测和提高对野生动物感染 SARS-CoV-2 的认识上，特别是在野生动物救援中心收集的野生鼬科动物、蝙蝠、野生犬科动物和猫科动物中。经常与野生动物密切接触的人应采取一切必要的预防措施，保护野生动物免受病毒暴露。自首次在人类中检测到 SARS-CoV-2 一年多后，现在是时候增加对动物（包括野生动物）的研究和监测活动的投资了，这是一种大流行的“同一健康”控制措施。这项关注比利时的研究可以为其他具有类似动物密度和生态系统的国家提供帮助。
