@article{Mena_J-2023_109782,
title = {Molecular surveillance of potential SARS-CoV-2 reservoir hosts in wildlife rehabilitation centers},
author = {Mena, J. and Hidalgo, C. and Estay-Olea, D. and Sallaberry-Pincheira, N. and Bacigalupo, A. and Rubio, A. and Peñaloza, D. and Sánchez, C. and Gómez-Adaros, J. and Olmos, V. and Cabello, J. and Ivelic, K. and Abarca, M. and Ramírez-Álvarez, D. and Torregrosa Rocabado, M. and Durán Castro, N. and Carreño, M. and Gómez, G. and Cattan, P. and Ramírez-Toloza, G. and Robbiano, S. and Marchese, C. and Raffo, E. and Stowhas, P. and Medina-Vogel, G. and Landaeta-Aqueveque, C. and Ortega, R. and Waleckx, E. and González-Acuña, D. and Rojo, G.},
month = {jan},
year = {2023},
abstract = {Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, has become the most devastating zoonotic event in recent times, with negative impacts on both human and animal welfare as well as on the global economy. Although SARS-CoV-2 is considered a human virus, it likely emerged from animals, and it can infect both domestic and wild animals. This constitutes a risk for human and animal health including wildlife with evidence of SARS-CoV-2 horizontal transmission back and forth between humans and wild animals. Aim: Molecular surveillance in different wildlife rehabilitation centers and wildlife associated institutions in Chile, which are critical points of animal-human interaction and wildlife conservation, especially since the aim of wildlife rehabilitation centers is to reintroduce animals to their original habitat. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted in six WRCs and three wildlife associated institutions. A total of 185 samples were obtained from 83 individuals belonging to 15 different species, including vulnerable and endangered species. Each specimen was sampled with two different swabs: one oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal according to the nostril diameter, and/or a second rectal sample. RNA was extracted from the samples and two different molecular assays were performed: first, a conventional RT-PCR with pan-coronavirus primers and a second SARS-CoV-2 qPCR targeting the N and S genes. Results: All 185 samples were negative for SARS-CoV-2. Clinical relevance: This study constitutes the first report on the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 from wildlife treated in rehabilitation centers in Chile, and supports the biosafety procedures adopted in those centers.},
pages = {1-10},
volume = {43},
issue = {1},
journal = {Veterinary Quarterly},
publisher = {Taylor and Francis},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2023.2164909},
}
