African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Ede 23210, Osun State, Nigeria.
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Redeemer's University, Ede 23210, Osun State, Nigeria.
Viruses. 2023 May 17;15(5):1187. doi: 10.3390/v15051187.
Since SARS-CoV-2 caused the COVID-19 pandemic, records have suggested the occurrence of reverse zoonosis of pets and farm animals in contact with SARS-CoV-2-positive humans in the Occident. However, there is little information on the spread of the virus among animals in contact with humans in Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in various animals in Nigeria. Overall, 791 animals from Ebonyi, Ogun, Ondo, and Oyo States, Nigeria were screened for SARS-CoV-2 using RT-qPCR ( = 364) and IgG ELISA ( = 654). SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates were 45.9% (RT-qPCR) and 1.4% (ELISA). SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in almost all animal taxa and sampling locations except Oyo State. SARS-CoV-2 IgGs were detected only in goats from Ebonyi and pigs from Ogun States. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 infectivity rates were higher in 2021 than in 2022. Our study highlights the ability of the virus to infect various animals. It presents the first report of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in poultry, pigs, domestic ruminants, and lizards. The close human-animal interactions in these settings suggest ongoing reverse zoonosis, highlighting the role of behavioral factors of transmission and the potential for SARS-CoV-2 to spread among animals. These underscore the importance of continuous monitoring to detect and intervene in any eventual upsurge.
自 SARS-CoV-2 引发 COVID-19 大流行以来，有记录表明，在西方，与 SARS-CoV-2 阳性人类接触的宠物和农场动物发生了反向人畜共患病。然而，关于与人类接触的非洲动物中病毒传播的信息很少。因此，本研究旨在调查尼日利亚各种动物中 SARS-CoV-2 的发生情况。
总体而言，从尼日利亚埃邦伊、奥贡、翁多和奥约州筛选了 791 只动物，使用 RT-qPCR（=364）和 IgG ELISA（=654）进行 SARS-CoV-2 检测。SARS-CoV-2 的阳性率分别为 45.9%（RT-qPCR）和 1.4%（ELISA）。除奥约州外，几乎所有动物分类群和采样地点都检测到了 SARS-CoV-2 RNA。仅在埃邦伊州的山羊和奥贡州的猪中检测到 SARS-CoV-2 抗体。
总体而言，2021 年 SARS-CoV-2 的感染率高于 2022 年。我们的研究强调了该病毒感染各种动物的能力。它首次报告了家禽、猪、家养反刍动物和蜥蜴中自然发生的 SARS-CoV-2 感染。这些环境中人与动物的密切接触表明正在发生反向人畜共患病，突出了传播的行为因素和 SARS-CoV-2 在动物中传播的潜力。这些强调了持续监测以检测和干预任何最终疫情爆发的重要性。
