Dublin deer herd first in Europe to be infected with COVID-19 virus, raising concerns about further spread

Doe-eyed and majestic, the deer in Dublin’s Phoenix Park draw thousands of admirers each week, many of whom pet and feed the animals. But these fans may have brought more than snacks to the creatures: They are the first deer in Europe shown to have been infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 , likely a result of the regular human contact, according to a bioRxiv preprint posted on 7 July . The discovery of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in the blood of the fallow deer ( Dama dama ) adds to concerns that the virus could begin to circulate in European deer, researchers say. Although there’s not currently any clear risk to humans, “it’s not something we should ignore,” says Eman Anis, a veterinary microbiologist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet), who was not involved in the study. “It is very important to not allow these viruses to make their way into wildlife.” In North America, SARS-CoV-2 has spread among white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) since at least 2021. Researchers have documented numerous instances of both human-to-deer and deer-to-deer transmission, as well as three cases of COVID-19 in humans that may have originated in wild deer . This has troubled scientists, because populations of wild animals that spread a virus among themselves—known as reservoirs—allow viruses like SARS-CoV-2 to persist and mutate. Eventually, t...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news