TY - JOUR
AU - Mena, Juan
AU - Hidalgo, Christian
AU - Estay-Olea, Daniela
AU - Sallaberry-Pincheira, Nicole
AU - Bacigalupo, Antonella
AU - Rubio, André V.
AU - Peñaloza, Diego
AU - Sánchez, Carolina
AU - Gómez-Adaros, Javiera
AU - Olmos, Valeria
AU - Cabello, Javier
AU - Ivelic, Kendra
AU - Abarca, María José
AU - Ramírez-Álvarez, Diego
AU - Torregrosa Rocabado, Marisol
AU - Durán Castro, Natalia
AU - Carreño, Martina
AU - Gómez, Gabriela
AU - Cattan, Pedro E.
AU - Ramírez-Toloza, Galia
AU - Robbiano, Sofía
AU - Marchese, Carla
AU - Raffo, Eduardo
AU - Stowhas, Paulina
AU - Medina-Vogel, Gonzalo
AU - Landaeta-Aqueveque, Carlos
AU - Ortega, René
AU - Waleckx, Etienne
AU - González-Acuña, Daniel
AU - Rojo, Gemma
PY - 2023
DA - January
TI - Molecular surveillance of potential SARS-CoV-2 reservoir hosts in wildlife rehabilitation centers
JO - Veterinary Quarterly
EP - 10
VL - 43
IS - 1
DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2023.2164909
AB - 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.
PB - Taylor and Francis
UR - https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/289467/
KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
ER