Dozens of mammals close to humans may be susceptible to COVID-19 virus, may cause re-infection later

A new study says that about 26 animals that come in regular contact with people may be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

By: Jahnavi Sarma | | Updated: October 7, 2020 9:27 am

Cat-Scratch Disease can be transmitted when you are scratched or licked by a flea-infested cat. @Shutterstock

Many experts agree that the COVID-19 virus may have jumped from an animal to humans. They point fingers at the bat as the most likely source of transmission. However, the scientific community also says that, based on limited information available, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is quite low. They agree that more studies are needed to understand if and how different animals could be affected by COVID-19. Also Read - Akshay Kumar, Piyush Mishra, Sonam Kapoor and more Bollywood celebs who opened up on facing sexual abuse in childhood

Now, a new study says that about 26 animals that come in regular contact with people may be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, says a study. The researchers from University College London found that most birds, fish, and reptiles do not appear to be at risk of infection, but the majority of the mammals they reviewed could potentially be infected. They predict possible infection in domestic cats, dogs, mink, lions, and tigers, all of which have had reported cases, as well as ferrets and macaques, which have been infected in laboratory studies, according to the study published in the journal Scientific Reports. Also Read - Test Article 2 Covid 19 3rd wave

Vulnerable animals may become carriers of virus

According to researchers, they wanted to look beyond just the animals that had been studied experimentally, to see which animals might be at risk of infection and would warrant further investigation and possible monitoring. The animals they identified may be at risk of outbreaks that could threaten endangered species or harm the livelihoods of farmers. The animals might also act as reservoirs of the virus, with the potential to re-infect humans later on, as has been documented on mink farms. Also Read - COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 10,757,610 while death toll reaches 1,54,392 12d

Experts explore how exactly virus infects animals

For the study, the researchers investigated how the spike protein from SARS-CoV-2 could interact with the main cellular receptor for the virus in humans called angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2). The focus of the investigation was whether mutations in the ACE2 protein in 215 different animals, that make it different from the human version, would reduce the stability of the binding complex between the virus protein and host protein. Binding to the protein enables the virus to gain entry into host cells. While it is possible the virus might be able to infect animals via another pathway, it is unlikely based on current evidence that the virus could infect an animal if it cannot form a stable binding complex with ACE2.

Some animals may be more susceptible than others

The researchers found that for some animals, such as sheep and great apes (chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and bonobo, many of which are endangered in the wild), the proteins would be able to bind together just as strongly as they do when the virus infects people. Some of the animals, such as sheep, have not yet been studied with infection tests, so this does not confirm that the animal can indeed be infected. The research team also performed more detailed structural analyses for certain animals, to gain a better understanding of how infection risks may differ across animal species. By comparing their findings to other experimental data, they set thresholds to predict which animals are at risk of infection, and which ones most likely cannot be infected.

(With inputs from IANS)

Published : October 6, 2020 10:37 am | Updated:October 7, 2020 9:27 am

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