SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV -2 cross-reactive antibodies in domestic animals and wildlife in Nigeria suggest circulation of sarbecoviruses
Ebere R. Agusi,
Jacob Schön,
Valerie Allendorf,
Emmanuel A. Eze,
Olayinka Asala,
Ismaila Shittu,
Anne Balkema-Buschmann,
Kerstin Wernike,
Ishaya Tekki,
Mark Ofua,
Omowunmi Adefegha,
Oluwatoyin Olubade,
Oluyemi Ogunmolawa,
Klaas Dietze,
Anja Globig,
Donata Hoffmann,
Clement A. Meseko
Affiliations
Ebere R. Agusi
National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Jacob Schön
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany
Valerie Allendorf
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany; Corresponding authors at: Institute of International Animal Health, One Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493 Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany.
Emmanuel A. Eze
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Olayinka Asala
National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria
Ismaila Shittu
National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria
Anne Balkema-Buschmann
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany
Kerstin Wernike
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany
Ishaya Tekki
National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria
National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria
Oluyemi Ogunmolawa
National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria
Klaas Dietze
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany
Anja Globig
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany; Corresponding authors at: Institute of International Animal Health, One Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493 Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany.
Donata Hoffmann
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany
Clement A. Meseko
National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria
Anthropogenic exposure of domestic animals, as well as wildlife, can result in zoonotic transmission events with known and unknown pathogens including sarbecoviruses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals, most likely resulting from spill-over from humans, have been documented worldwide. However, only limited information is available for Africa. The anthropozoonotic transmission from humans to animals, followed by further inter- and intraspecies propagation may contribute to viral evolution, and thereby subsequently alter the epidemiological patterns of transmission. To shed light on the possible role of domestic animals and wildlife in the ecology and epidemiology of sarbecoviruses in Nigeria, and to analyze the possible circulation of other, undiscovered, but potentially zoonotic sarbecoviruses in animals, we tested 504 serum samples from dogs, rabbits, bats, and pangolins collected between December 2020 and April 2022. The samples were analyzed using an indirect multi-species enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV -2, respectively. ELISA reactive sera were further analyzed by highly specific virus neutralization test and indirect immunofluorescence assay for confirmation of the presence of antibodies. In this study, we found SARS-CoV reactive antibodies in 16 (11.5%) dogs, 7 (2.97%) rabbits, 2 (7.7%) pangolins and SARS-CoV-2 reactive antibodies in 20 (13.4%) dogs, 6 (2.5%) rabbits and 2 (7.7%) pangolins, respectively. Interestingly, 2 (2.3%) bat samples were positive only for SARS-CoV RBD reactive antibodies. These serological findings of SARS-CoV and/or SARS-CoV-2 infections in both domestic animals and wildlife indicates exposure to sarbecoviruses and requires further One Health-oriented research on the potential reservoir role that different species might play in the ecology and epidemiology of coronaviruses at the human-animal interface.
