Molecular surveillance of potential SARS-CoV-2 reservoir hosts in wildlife rehabilitation centers - Repository

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: https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2023.2164909

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.

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This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Mena, J., Hidalgo, C., Estay-Olea, D., Sallaberry-Pincheira, N., Bacigalupo, A., Rubio, A., Peñaloza, D., Sánchez, C., Gómez-Adaros, J., Olmos, V., Cabello, J., Ivelic, K., Abarca, M., Ramírez-Álvarez, D., Torregrosa Rocabado, M., Durán Castro, N., Carreño, M., Gómez, G., Cattan, P., Ramírez-Toloza, G., Robbiano, S., Marchese, C., Raffo, E., Stowhas, P., Medina-Vogel, G., Landaeta-Aqueveque, C., Ortega, R., Waleckx, E., González-Acuña, D. & Rojo, G. 2023, 'Molecular surveillance of potential SARS-CoV-2 reservoir hosts in wildlife rehabilitation centers', Veterinary Quarterly, 43(1), pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2023.2164909

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2023.2164909

Repository URI: https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/289467/