Villanueva-Saz Sergio, Giner Jacobo, Palomar Ana María, Gómez María Asunción, Põdra Madis, Aranda María Del Carmen, Jiménez María de Los Ángeles, Lizarraga Patricia, Hernández Raquel, Portillo Aránzazu, Oteo José Antonio, Ruíz-Arrondo Ignacio, Pérez María Dolores, Tobajas Ana Pilar, Verde Maite, Lacasta Delia, Marteles Diana, Hurtado-Guerrero Ramón, Santiago Llipsy, Ruíz Héctor, Fernández Antonio
Department of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain.
Clinical Immunology Laboratory, Veterinary Faculty, University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Aug 3;12(15):1971. doi: 10.3390/ani12151971.
The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on wildlife is largely unevaluated, and extended surveillance of animal species is needed to reach a consensus on the role of animals in the emergence and maintenance of SARS-CoV-2. This infection has been detected in farmed and domestic animals and wild animals, mainly in captivity. The interactions or shared resources with wildlife could represent a potential transmission pathway for the SARS-CoV-2 spill over to other wild species and could lead to health consequences or the establishment of new reservoirs in susceptible hosts. This study evaluated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in European mink () and American mink () in Spain by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Spike antigen in serum samples and/or by RT-qPCR assays in oropharyngeal and rectal swabs. From January 2020 to February 2022, a total of 162 animals (127 European mink and 35 American mink) with no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection were included in the study. Antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 were not found in the serum samples analysed ( = 126), nor was the virus amplified by RT-qPCR ( = 160 swabs). Our results suggest that the potential role of wild mink and the European mink bred in captivity and released to the wild as dispersers of SARS-CoV-2 is so far low. However, wildlife surveillance for early detection of human and animal risks should be continued. In this sense, epidemiological monitoring measures, including serology and molecular analysis, are necessary.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）大流行对野生动物的影响在很大程度上尚未得到评估，需要对动物物种进行长期监测，以便就动物在SARS-CoV-2出现和维持中的作用达成共识。这种感染已在养殖动物、家畜和野生动物中被检测到，主要是在圈养动物中。与野生动物的相互作用或共享资源可能是SARS-CoV-2传播到其他野生动物物种的潜在途径，并可能导致健康后果或在易感宿主中建立新的病毒储存库。本研究通过酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA），使用血清样本中刺突抗原的受体结合域（RBD），和/或通过对口咽和直肠拭子进行逆转录定量聚合酶链反应（RT-qPCR）检测，评估了西班牙欧洲水貂（）和美洲水貂（）中SARS-CoV-2的存在情况。从2020年1月到2022年2月，共有162只无SARS-CoV-2感染证据的动物（127只欧洲水貂和35只美洲水貂）被纳入研究。在所分析的血清样本中（ = 126）未发现针对SARS-CoV-2的抗体，通过RT-qPCR也未扩增到病毒（ = 160份拭子）。我们的结果表明，野生水貂以及圈养繁殖后放归野外的欧洲水貂作为SARS-CoV-2传播者的潜在作用目前较低。然而，应继续进行野生动物监测以早期发现人类和动物风险。从这个意义上讲，包括血清学和分子分析在内的流行病学监测措施是必要的。
