TY - JOUR
T1 - SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) Infection of Wild White-Tailed Deer in New York City
AU - Vandegrift, Kurt J.
AU - Yon, Michele
AU - Surendran Nair, Meera
AU - Gontu, Abhinay
AU - Ramasamy, Santhamani
AU - Amirthalingam, Saranya
AU - Neerukonda, Sabarinath
AU - Nissly, Ruth H.
AU - Chothe, Shubhada K.
AU - Jakka, Padmaja
AU - LaBella, Lindsey
AU - Levine, Nicole
AU - Rodriguez, Sophie
AU - Chen, Chen
AU - Sheersh Boorla, Veda
AU - Stuber, Tod
AU - Boulanger, Jason R.
AU - Kotschwar, Nathan
AU - Aucoin, Sarah Grimké
AU - Simon, Richard
AU - Toal, Katrina L.
AU - Olsen, Randall J.
AU - Davis, James J.
AU - Bold, Dashzeveg
AU - Gaudreault, Natasha N.
AU - Dinali Perera, Krishani
AU - Kim, Yunjeong
AU - Chang, Kyeong Ok
AU - Maranas, Costas D.
AU - Richt, Juergen A.
AU - Musser, James M.
AU - Hudson, Peter J.
AU - Kapur, Vivek
AU - Kuchipudi, Suresh V.
N1 - Funding Information:
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Award 2020-67015-32175 (S.V.K., M.S.N., K.J.V.); NSF Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases program grant 1619072 (K.J.V.); National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health grants 1R21AI156406-01 & 7R01AI134911 (K.J.V.). Houston Methodist Academic Institute Infectious Diseases Fund (J.M.M., R.J.O.). National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Contract No. 75N93019C00076 (J.J.D.). USDA NIFA Program under award 2020-67015-33157 (J.A.R.). National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under award number P20GM130448 (J.A.R.). NIAID Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance under contract number HHSN 272201400006C (J.A.R.).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - There is mounting evidence of SARS-CoV-2 spillover from humans into many domestic, companion, and wild animal species. Research indicates that humans have infected white-tailed deer, and that deer-to-deer transmission has occurred, indicating that deer could be a wildlife reservoir and a source of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants. We examined the hypothesis that the Omicron variant is actively and asymptomatically infecting the free-ranging deer of New York City. Between December 2021 and February 2022, 155 deer on Staten Island, New York, were anesthetized and examined for gross abnormalities and illnesses. Paired nasopharyngeal swabs and blood samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibodies. Of 135 serum samples, 19 (14.1%) indicated SARS-CoV-2 exposure, and 11 reacted most strongly to the wild-type B.1 lineage. Of the 71 swabs, 8 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA (4 Omicron and 4 Delta). Two of the animals had active infections and robust neutralizing antibodies, revealing evidence of reinfection or early seroconversion in deer. Variants of concern continue to circulate among and may reinfect US deer populations, and establish enzootic transmission cycles in the wild: this warrants a coordinated One Health response, to proactively surveil, identify, and curtail variants of concern before they can spill back into humans.
AB - There is mounting evidence of SARS-CoV-2 spillover from humans into many domestic, companion, and wild animal species. Research indicates that humans have infected white-tailed deer, and that deer-to-deer transmission has occurred, indicating that deer could be a wildlife reservoir and a source of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants. We examined the hypothesis that the Omicron variant is actively and asymptomatically infecting the free-ranging deer of New York City. Between December 2021 and February 2022, 155 deer on Staten Island, New York, were anesthetized and examined for gross abnormalities and illnesses. Paired nasopharyngeal swabs and blood samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibodies. Of 135 serum samples, 19 (14.1%) indicated SARS-CoV-2 exposure, and 11 reacted most strongly to the wild-type B.1 lineage. Of the 71 swabs, 8 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA (4 Omicron and 4 Delta). Two of the animals had active infections and robust neutralizing antibodies, revealing evidence of reinfection or early seroconversion in deer. Variants of concern continue to circulate among and may reinfect US deer populations, and establish enzootic transmission cycles in the wild: this warrants a coordinated One Health response, to proactively surveil, identify, and curtail variants of concern before they can spill back into humans.
KW - disease ecology
KW - enzootic transmission
KW - Odocoileus virginianus
KW - omicron
KW - reinfection
KW - reservoir competence
KW - SARS-CoV-2
KW - spillover
KW - variant of concern
KW - white-tailed deer
KW - zoonotic
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U2 - 10.3390/v14122770
DO - 10.3390/v14122770
M3 - Article
C2 - 36560774
AN - SCOPUS:85144582297
VL - 14
JO - Viruses
JF - Viruses
SN - 1999-4915
IS - 12
M1 - 2770
ER -