SARS-CoV-2 infections in farmed minks (Neovision vision) - current data on the disease, epidemiology and emerging threat for humans and other animals

SARS-CoV-2, the betacoronavirus that causes COVID-19, has spread rapidly around the world since December 2019. It was suspected from the beginning that the primary outbreak in China, was of a zoonotic origin, but the SARS- CoV-2 animal reservoir(s) has not been definitively identified yet. So far, it has been confirmed that numerous animal species are susceptible to infection and that experimentally infected cats, shrews, hamsters and ferrets can also shed the virus. The SARS-CoV-2 was also detected in farmed mink (Neovison vison), in which it caused both, the clinical and subclinical disease, with respiratory symptoms and increased mortality. In April 2020, the first SARS-CoV-2 cases were detected in minks in the Netherlands, and to date (November 2020), further outbreaks have been confirmed in Denmark, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United States, Greece, France and Poland. It has also been shown that the transmission of infection from humans to minks and from minks to humans may occur. The OIE is working on the inclusion of mink in the WAHIS database and encouraging the Members to provide appropriate data for this species to improve the monitoring of the epidemiological situation worldwide and prevent the establishment of a possible new reservoir for SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 in companion animals - data from the world organization for animal health (OIE) and scientific informations

Family Coronaviridae (coronaviruses, CoVs), comprises enveloped, positive sense RNA viruses. They are largest RNA viruses identified so far. CoVs are known for over half a century as agents causing respiratory, alimentary or systemic infections in domestic and wild birds and mammals. Feline (FcoV) and canine coronaviruses (CCoV) are common in the populations of these animals and fetine infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), infection may often be fatal. The new human coronavirus, SARS-CoV-Z, causing COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-IQ), identified in 2019 and responsible for the ongoing pandemics, has raised concerns about its zoonotic potential. Since cats and dogs live in close contact with owners it is important to establish their possible role in COVlD-19 epidemiology. There have been reports of SAHS-Covo2 positive dogs and cats in the literature and on various websites, including OIE website. However, considering that despite that millions of people are infected and the virus is still spreading worldwide, while only few cases of SARS-CoV-19 in dogs and cats have been confirmed, these companion animals do not play a role as virus reservoirs, thus are not important in COVlD-19 pandemics.

Review: SARS-CoV-2 infection in farmed minks - an overview of current knowledge on occurrence, disease and epidemiology.

Coronaviruses (CoVs), which are enveloped, positive-sense RNA viruses, may cause infections in mammals and birds. Apart from the respiratory manifestations, CoVs are also responsible for infections of the gastrointestinal tract and nervous systems. Their propensity to recombine allows them to easily transmit and adapt to new hosts. The emergence of a new CoV in humans, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is attributed to a zoonotic origin, has provoked numerous studies to assess its pathogenicity for different animal species (pets, farm and wild animals). Available results indicate that numerous animal species are susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2. From April 2020, when the first SARS-CoV-2 infection in minks was reported in the Netherlands, to the end of January 2021, further outbreaks have been confirmed in Denmark, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United States, Greece, France, Canada, Lithuania and Poland. It has also been established that human-to-minks and minks-to-human transmission may occur. The results obtained to date indicate that the virus was originally introduced into the minks population by humans, possibly at the start of the pandemic and had been circulating in the population for several weeks before detection. Recent data indicate that minks are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, but the route or routes of virus transmission between farms, other than by direct contact with infected humans, have not been identified. In minks, infection can occur in clinical and subclinical form, making it possibly difficult to detect. Therefore, minks could represent potentially dangerous, not always recognized, animal reservoir for SARS-CoV-2. The current data indicate that further studies on minks and other Mustelidae are needed to clarify whether they may be a potential reservoir for SARS-CoV-2, and if so, how and whether this can be prevented.