Hands off the Mink! Using Environmental Sampling for SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in American Mink

Ellen Boyd (), Michelle Coombe, Natalie Prystajecky, Jessica M. Caleta, Inna Sekirov, John Tyson and Chelsea Himsworth
Additional contact information
Ellen Boyd: Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Government of British Columbia, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2M3, Canada
Michelle Coombe: Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Government of British Columbia, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2M3, Canada
Natalie Prystajecky: School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
Jessica M. Caleta: BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4R4, Canada
Inna Sekirov: BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4R4, Canada
John Tyson: BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4R4, Canada
Chelsea Himsworth: Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Government of British Columbia, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2M3, Canada

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-11

Abstract: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous non-human species were shown to be susceptible to natural infection by SARS-CoV-2, including farmed American mink. Once infected, American mink can transfer the virus from mink to human and mink to mink, resulting in a high rate of viral mutation. Therefore, outbreak surveillance on American mink farms is imperative for both mink and human health. Historically, disease surveillance on mink farms has consisted of a combination of mortality and live animal sampling; however, these methodologies have significant limitations. This study compared PCR testing of both deceased and live animal samples to environmental samples on an active outbreak premise, to determine the utility of environmental sampling. Environmental sampling mirrored trends in both deceased and live animal sampling in terms of percent positivity and appeared more sensitive in some low-prevalence instances. PCR CT values of environmental samples were significantly different from live animal samples’ CT values and were consistently high (mean CT = 36.2), likely indicating a low amount of viral RNA in the samples. There is compelling evidence in favour of environmental sampling for the purpose of disease surveillance, specifically as an early warning tool for SARS-CoV-2; however, further work is needed to ultimately determine whether environmental samples are viable sources for molecular epidemiology investigations.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; American mink; environmental surveillance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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