SARS-CoV-2 infection in free-ranging white-tailed deer

Vanessa L. Hale, Patricia M. Dennis, Dillon S. McBride, Jacqueline M. Nolting, Christopher Madden, Devra Huey, Margot Ehrlich, Jennifer Grieser, Jenessa Winston, Dusty Lombardi, Stormy Gibson, Linda Saif, Mary L. Killian, Kristina Lantz, Rachel M. Tell, Mia Torchetti, Suelee Robbe-Austerman, Martha I. Nelson, Seth A. Faith and Andrew S. Bowman ()
Additional contact information
Vanessa L. Hale: The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Patricia M. Dennis: The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Dillon S. McBride: The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Jacqueline M. Nolting: The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Christopher Madden: The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Devra Huey: The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Margot Ehrlich: The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Jennifer Grieser: Cleveland Metroparks
Jenessa Winston: Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Dusty Lombardi: Ohio Wildlife Center
Stormy Gibson: Ohio Wildlife Center
Linda Saif: The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Mary L. Killian: National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture
Kristina Lantz: National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture
Rachel M. Tell: National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture
Mia Torchetti: National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture
Suelee Robbe-Austerman: National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture
Martha I. Nelson: Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
Seth A. Faith: Infectious Diseases Institute, The Ohio State University
Andrew S. Bowman: The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Nature, 2022, vol. 602, issue 7897, 481-486

Abstract: Abstract Humans have infected a wide range of animals with SARS-CoV-21–5, but the establishment of a new natural animal reservoir has not been observed. Here we document that free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are highly susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, are exposed to multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants from humans and are capable of sustaining transmission in nature. Using real-time PCR with reverse transcription, we detected SARS-CoV-2 in more than one-third (129 out of 360, 35.8%) of nasal swabs obtained from O. virginianus in northeast Ohio in the USA during January to March 2021. Deer in six locations were infected with three SARS-CoV-2 lineages (B.1.2, B.1.582 and B.1.596). The B.1.2 viruses, dominant in humans in Ohio at the time, infected deer in four locations. We detected probable deer-to-deer transmission of B.1.2, B.1.582 and B.1.596 viruses, enabling the virus to acquire amino acid substitutions in the spike protein (including the receptor-binding domain) and ORF1 that are observed infrequently in humans. No spillback to humans was observed, but these findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 viruses have been transmitted in wildlife in the USA, potentially opening new pathways for evolution. There is an urgent need to establish comprehensive ‘One Health’ programmes to monitor the environment, deer and other wildlife hosts globally.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04353-x

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