SARS-CoV-2 infection in free-ranging white-tailed deer Vanessa L. Hale1 na1, Patricia M. Dennis1,2 na1, Dillon S. McBride orcid.org/0000-0002-7408-39591, Jaqueline M. Nolting orcid.org/0000-0002-2705-48051, Christopher Madden orcid.org/0000-0001-9194-41431, Devra Huey1, Margot Ehrlich orcid.org/0000-0001-5855-32123, Jennifer Grieser4, Jenessa Winston5, Dusty Lombardi6, Stormy Gibson6, Linda Saif1,7, Mary L. Killian8, Kristina Lantz8, Rachel Tell8, Mia Torchetti8, Suelee Robbe-Austerman orcid.org/0000-0002-3794-30408, Martha I. Nelson orcid.org/0000-0003-4814-01799 nAff11, Seth A. Faith10 & Andrew S. Bowman orcid.org/0000-0002-0738-84531 Nature (2021)Cite this article We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply. Ecological epidemiologyPhylogeneticsSARS-CoV-2Viral infection Humans have infected a wide range of animals with SARS-CoV-2 viruses1–5, but the establishment of a new natural animal reservoir has not been observed. Here, we document that free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are highly susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus, are exposed to a range of viral diversity from humans, and are capable of sustaining transmission in nature. SARS-CoV-2 virus was detected by rRT-PCR in more than one-third (129/360, 35.8%) of nasal swabs obtained from Odocoileus virginianus in northeast Ohio (USA) during January-March 2021. Deer in 6 locations were infected with 3 SARS-CoV-2 lineages (B.1.2, B.1.582, B.1.596). The B.1.2 viruses, dominant in humans in Ohio at the time, infected deer in four locations. Probable deer-to-deer transmission of B.1.2, B.1.582, and B.1.596 viruses was observed, allowing the virus to acquire amino acid substitutions in the spike protein (including the receptor-binding domain) and ORF1 that are infrequently seen in humans. No spillback to humans was observed, but these findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 viruses have the capacity to transmit in US wildlife, potentially opening new pathways for evolution. There is an urgent need to establish comprehensive ‘One Health’ programs to monitor deer, the environment, and other wildlife hosts globally. rRT-PCR testing results. The cycle threshold (Ct) value results for the E assay screen, N1, and N2 rRT-PCR targets are shown for the 360 nasal swabs collected from white-tailed deer as a part of this study. Final SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR result was considered presumptive positive if Ct values for all three targets were less < 40. For the 76 samples sent to NVSL, confirmatory rRT-PCR results are listed in addition to the samples for which whole genome sequencing (WGS) was successfully completed. See Extended Data Table 4 for GISAID accession numbers for the 14 sequences generated. By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04353-x
SARS-CoV-2 infection in free-ranging white-tailed deer
