SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is widespread among wildlife species, according to Virginia Tech research published Monday (July 29, 2024) in Nature Communications.
Virginia TechJul 29 2024 SARS -CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is widespread among wildlife species, according to Virginia Tech research published Monday in Nature Communications. The virus was detected in six common backyard species, and antibodies indicating prior exposure to the virus were found in five species, with rates of exposure ranging from 40 to 60 percent depending on the species.
The findings highlight the identification of novel mutations in SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife and the need for broad surveillance, researchers say. These mutations could be more harmful and transmissible, creating challenges for vaccine development. "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 Carla Finkielstein, professor of biological sciences at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and one of the paper's corresponding authors. "The goal of the virus is to spread in order to survive. The virus aims to infect more humans, but vaccinations protect many humans.
Joseph Hoyt, assistant professor of Biological Sciences in Virginia Tech's College of Science and corresponding author on the paper Researchers are not certain about the means of transmission from humans to animals. One possibility is wastewater, but the Virginia Tech scientists believe trash receptacles and discarded food are more likely sources.
"The virus is indifferent to whether its host walks on two legs or four. Its primary objective is survival. Mutations that do not confer a survival or replication advantage to the virus will not persist and will eventually disappear," said Finkielstein, who is also director of the Virginia Tech Molecular Diagnostics Lab. The Roanoke lab was established in April 2020 to expand COVID-19 testing.
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