Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in free-ranging white-tailed deer in the United States

Aijing Feng, Sarah Bevins, Jeff Chandler, Thomas J. DeLiberto (), Ria Ghai, Kristina Lantz, Julianna Lenoch, Adam Retchless, Susan Shriner, Cynthia Y. Tang, Suxiang Sue Tong, Mia Torchetti, Anna Uehara and Xiu-Feng Wan ()
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Aijing Feng: University of Missouri
Sarah Bevins: USDA APHIS Wildlife Services National Wildlife Disease Program
Jeff Chandler: US Department of Agriculture
Thomas J. DeLiberto: USDA APHIS Wildlife Services
Ria Ghai: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Kristina Lantz: United States Department of Agriculture
Julianna Lenoch: USDA APHIS Wildlife Services National Wildlife Disease Program
Adam Retchless: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Susan Shriner: US Department of Agriculture
Cynthia Y. Tang: University of Missouri
Suxiang Sue Tong: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mia Torchetti: United States Department of Agriculture
Anna Uehara: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Xiu-Feng Wan: University of Missouri

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract SARS-CoV-2 is a zoonotic virus with documented bi-directional transmission between people and animals. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) poses a unique public health risk due to the potential for reservoir establishment where variants may persist and evolve. We collected 8,830 respiratory samples from free-ranging white-tailed deer across Washington, D.C. and 26 states in the United States between November 2021 and April 2022. We obtained 391 sequences and identified 34 Pango lineages including the Alpha, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron variants. Evolutionary analyses showed these white-tailed deer viruses originated from at least 109 independent spillovers from humans, which resulted in 39 cases of subsequent local deer-to-deer transmission and three cases of potential spillover from white-tailed deer back to humans. Viruses repeatedly adapted to white-tailed deer with recurring amino acid substitutions across spike and other proteins. Overall, our findings suggest that multiple SARS-CoV-2 lineages were introduced, became enzootic, and co-circulated in white-tailed deer.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39782-x

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