In Ohio, white-tailed deer were discovered infected with COVID-19, and the virus evolves nearly three times faster in white-tailed deer than in humans.
Over 1,500 nasal swabs were taken from free-ranging deer in 83 counties in 2021 as well as 2022 for the study, the results of which were reported on Monday in Nature Weekly.
Over 10% of the samples tested positive for COVID-19, and at least one positive case was discovered in 59% of the counties where the study was conducted.
Thirty instances were determined to have been introduced by humans, a number that concerned experts; OSU associate professor of veterinary preventive medicine Andrew Bowman stated this was an unusually high number.
Deer-to-Deer Transmission
Conclusions White-tailed deer may serve as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2, allowing the virus to continue to mutate, and the transfer of the virus from deer to other wildlife and cattle cannot be ruled out. Nature Communications has released the study.
Using blood samples carrying antibodies indicating earlier exposure to the virus, researchers determined that 23.5% of deer in Ohio were infected at some point, beyond the detection of ongoing infections.
The analysis showed that the genetic makeup of delta variants in deer mirrored dominant human lineages at the time, indicating spillover events, as well as that deer-to-deer transmission occurred in clusters, some crossing multiple counties.
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COVID-19 Variations Evolved Faster Than in Humans
However, it is anticipated that the variations currently circulating in deer may evolve further. Analysis of the mutations in the samples gave proof that alpha and delta variations in deer evolve at a faster rate than in humans.
It is unclear how the virus spreads from people to white-tailed deer. Even though there are an estimated 30 million wild deer in the United States, no major human outbreaks of deer-origin strains have been reported as of yet.
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