Animals (Aug 2022)

No Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Wild Mink (<i>Mustela lutreola</i> and <i>Neogale vison</i>) from Northern Spain during the First Two Years of Pandemic

  • Sergio Villanueva-Saz,
  • Jacobo Giner,
  • Ana María Palomar,
  • María Asunción Gómez,
  • Madis Põdra,
  • María del Carmen Aranda,
  • María de los Ángeles Jiménez,
  • Patricia Lizarraga,
  • Raquel Hernández,
  • Aránzazu Portillo,
  • José Antonio Oteo,
  • Ignacio Ruíz-Arrondo,
  • María Dolores Pérez,
  • Ana Pilar Tobajas,
  • Maite Verde,
  • Delia Lacasta,
  • Diana Marteles,
  • Ramón Hurtado-Guerrero,
  • Llipsy Santiago,
  • Héctor Ruíz,
  • Antonio Fernández

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12151971
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 15
p. 1971

Abstract

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The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on wildlife is largely unevaluated, and extended surveillance of animal species is needed to reach a consensus on the role of animals in the emergence and maintenance of SARS-CoV-2. This infection has been detected in farmed and domestic animals and wild animals, mainly in captivity. The interactions or shared resources with wildlife could represent a potential transmission pathway for the SARS-CoV-2 spill over to other wild species and could lead to health consequences or the establishment of new reservoirs in susceptible hosts. This study evaluated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in European mink (Mustela lutreola) and American mink (Neogale vison) in Spain by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Spike antigen in serum samples and/or by RT-qPCR assays in oropharyngeal and rectal swabs. From January 2020 to February 2022, a total of 162 animals (127 European mink and 35 American mink) with no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection were included in the study. Antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 were not found in the serum samples analysed (n = 126), nor was the virus amplified by RT-qPCR (n = 160 swabs). Our results suggest that the potential role of wild mink and the European mink bred in captivity and released to the wild as dispersers of SARS-CoV-2 is so far low. However, wildlife surveillance for early detection of human and animal risks should be continued. In this sense, epidemiological monitoring measures, including serology and molecular analysis, are necessary.

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