SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Zoonoses to Pumas and Lions, South Africa
Katja Natalie Koeppel,
Adriano Mendes,
Amy Strydom,
Lia Rotherham,
Misheck Mulumba,
Marietjie Venter
Affiliations
Katja Natalie Koeppel
Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
Adriano Mendes
Zoonotic Arbo- and Respiratory Virus Program, Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department for Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
Amy Strydom
Zoonotic Arbo- and Respiratory Virus Program, Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department for Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
Lia Rotherham
Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute, Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
Misheck Mulumba
Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute, Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
Marietjie Venter
Zoonotic Arbo- and Respiratory Virus Program, Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department for Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
Reverse-zoonotic infections of severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from humans to wildlife species internationally raise concern over the emergence of new variants in animals. A better understanding of the transmission dynamics and pathogenesis in susceptible species will mitigate the risk to humans and wildlife occurring in Africa. Here we report infection of an exotic puma (July 2020) and three African lions (July 2021) in the same private zoo in Johannesburg, South Africa. One Health genomic surveillance identified transmission of a Delta variant from a zookeeper to the three lions, similar to those circulating in humans in South Africa. One lion developed pneumonia while the other cases had mild infection. Both the puma and lions remained positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA for up to 7 weeks.
