COVID virus is prevalent in backyard wildlife species

New research from Virginia Tech reveals that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is prevalent among various wildlife species. 

The study found the virus in six common backyard species and detected antibodies in five of these species, with exposure rates ranging from 40 to 60 percent. 

Genetic tracking confirmed both the presence of the virus and unique viral mutations closely matching human variants, supporting human-to-animal transmission.

Animals near hiking trails and high-traffic public areas had the highest exposure rates, indicating that human activities play a significant role in transmitting the COVID virus to wildlife. 

Novel COVID virus mutations in wildlife 

Scientists from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, the Department of Biological Sciences in Virginia Tech’s College of Science, and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute conducted this study, emphasizing the need for broad surveillance due to the identification of novel COVID virus mutations in wildlife. These mutations could be more harmful and transmissible, posing challenges for vaccine development.

However, the researchers stressed that there was no evidence of the virus being transmitted from animals to humans. People should not fear typical interactions with wildlife, as noted by Carla Finkielstein, professor of biological sciences at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. 

“The virus can jump from humans to wildlife when we are in contact with them, like a hitchhiker switching rides to a new, more suitable host,” said Finkielstein. She emphasized the virus’s goal to spread and survive, adapting and mutating to thrive in new hosts.

Widespread COVID exposure among wildlife

Previous studies had primarily identified SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife such as white-tailed deer and feral mink. The Virginia Tech study expanded the number of species examined, providing a broader understanding of virus transmission to and among wildlife. 

This data suggests widespread exposure in wildlife, particularly in areas with high human activity, which serve as points of contact for cross-species transmission. Signs of the virus were found in deer mice, opossums, raccoons, groundhogs, rabbits, and Eastern red bats. 

“This study was really motivated by seeing a large, important gap in our knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a broader wildlife community,” said Joseph Hoyt, assistant professor of biological sciences and corresponding author on the paper.

Focus of the research 

The research team collected 798 nasal and oral swabs across Virginia from animals either live-trapped and released or treated by wildlife rehabilitation centers. They also obtained 126 blood samples from six species. 

Locations varied from urban areas to remote wilderness to compare virus presence in areas with different levels of human activity. Notably, two mice at the same site on the same day had the exact same variant, indicating possible transmission from the same human or between the mice.

How do humans pass COVID to wildlife?

Researchers remain uncertain about how the virus is transmitted from humans to animals. While wastewater is one possibility, the scientists believe trash receptacles and discarded food are more likely sources. 

“I think the big take-home message is the virus is pretty ubiquitous,” said Amanda Goldberg, the study’s first author and former postdoctoral associate in Hoyt’s lab.

The study focused on Virginia, but many of the species that tested positive are common throughout North America, suggesting they are being exposed in other areas as well. Surveillance across a broader region is urgently needed, Hoyt emphasized.

“The virus is indifferent to whether its host walks on two legs or four. Its primary objective is survival,” said Finkielstein, who is also director of the Virginia Tech Molecular Diagnostics Lab. 

She highlighted the importance of sequencing the virus’s genome in these species, a monumental task accomplished by a talented team of molecular biologists, bioinformaticians, and modelers in a state-of-the-art facility. “We understood the critical importance of sequencing the genome of the virus infecting those species,” she said.

Further research is needed

The researchers stressed the need for continued surveillance to monitor these mutations. Further research is needed to understand how the virus is transmitted from humans to wildlife, spreads within species, and potentially between species. 

“This study highlights the potentially large host range SARS-CoV-2 can have in nature and really how widespread it might be,” Hoyt said. Understanding which wildlife species might play a role in the long-term maintenance of SARS-CoV-2 in humans requires much more work. 

“What we’ve already learned is that SARS CoV-2 is not only a human problem, and it takes a multidisciplinary team to address its impact on various species and ecosystems effectively,” Finkielstein concluded.

The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

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