Serological and Molecular Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Captive Tigers (<i>Panthera tigris</i>), Thailand
Nareerat Sangkachai,
Somjit Chaiwattanarungruengpaisan,
Metawee Thongdee,
Parut Suksai,
Siriporn Tangsudjai,
Peerawat Wongluechai,
Sarin Suwanpakdee,
Witthawat Wiriyarat,
Ruangrat Buddhirongawatr,
Luxsana Prasittichai,
Anurux Skulpong,
Pilailuk Akkapaiboon Okada,
Pilaipan Puthavathana,
Weena Paungpin
Affiliations
Nareerat Sangkachai
The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Somjit Chaiwattanarungruengpaisan
The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Metawee Thongdee
The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Parut Suksai
The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Siriporn Tangsudjai
The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Peerawat Wongluechai
The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Sarin Suwanpakdee
The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Witthawat Wiriyarat
The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Ruangrat Buddhirongawatr
Department of Clinical Sciences and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Luxsana Prasittichai
Protected Area Regional Office 3 (Ban Pong), Ratchaburi 70110, Thailand
Anurux Skulpong
Wildlife Rescue Center III (Khao Prathap Chang), Ratchaburi 70110, Thailand
Pilailuk Akkapaiboon Okada
National Institute of Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand
Pilaipan Puthavathana
Center for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Weena Paungpin
The Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Diseases in Wildlife and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Given the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, continuous surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in animals is important. To monitor SARS-CoV-2 infection in wildlife in Thailand, we collected 62 blood samples and nine nasal- and rectal-swab samples from captive tigers (Panthera tigris) in Ratchaburi province in Thailand during 2020–2021. A plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) was employed to detect SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. A real-time RT-PCR assay was performed to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Our findings demonstrated that four captive tigers (6.5%, 4/62) had SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies against Wuhan Hu-1 and the Delta variant, while no SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome could be detected in all swab samples. Moreover, a low-level titer of neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron BA.2 subvariant could be found in only one seropositive tiger. The source of SARS-CoV-2 infection in these tigers most likely came from close contact with the infected animals’ caretakers who engaged in activities such as tiger petting and feeding. In summary, we described the first case of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in captive tigers during the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand and provided seroepidemiological-based evidence of human-to-animal transmission. Our findings highlight the need for continuous surveillance of COVID-19 among the captive tiger population and emphasize the need to adopt a One Health approach for preventing and controlling outbreaks of COVID-19 zoonotic disease.
