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Vandegrift KJ, Yon M, Surendran Nair M, Gontu A, Ramasamy S, Amirthalingam S, Neerukonda S, Nissly RH, Chothe SK, Jakka P, LaBella L, Levine N, Rodriguez S, Chen C, Sheersh Boorla V, Stuber T, Boulanger JR, Kotschwar N, Aucoin SG, Simon R, Toal KL, Olsen RJ, Davis JJ, Bold D, Gaudreault NN, Dinali Perera K, Kim Y, Chang KO, Maranas CD, Richt JA, Musser JM, Hudson PJ, Kapur V, Kuchipudi SV. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) Infection of Wild White-Tailed Deer in New York City. Viruses 2022; 14:v14122770. [PMID: 36560774 PMCID: PMC9785669 DOI: 10.3390/v14122770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There is mounting evidence of SARS-CoV-2 spillover from humans into many domestic, companion, and wild animal species. Research indicates that humans have infected white-tailed deer, and that deer-to-deer transmission has occurred, indicating that deer could be a wildlife reservoir and a source of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants. We examined the hypothesis that the Omicron variant is actively and asymptomatically infecting the free-ranging deer of New York City. Between December 2021 and February 2022, 155 deer on Staten Island, New York, were anesthetized and examined for gross abnormalities and illnesses. Paired nasopharyngeal swabs and blood samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibodies. Of 135 serum samples, 19 (14.1%) indicated SARS-CoV-2 exposure, and 11 reacted most strongly to the wild-type B.1 lineage. Of the 71 swabs, 8 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA (4 Omicron and 4 Delta). Two of the animals had active infections and robust neutralizing antibodies, revealing evidence of reinfection or early seroconversion in deer. Variants of concern continue to circulate among and may reinfect US deer populations, and establish enzootic transmission cycles in the wild: this warrants a coordinated One Health response, to proactively surveil, identify, and curtail variants of concern before they can spill back into humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt J. Vandegrift
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Correspondence: (K.J.V.); (V.K.); (S.V.K.); Tel.: +1-814-574-9852 (K.J.V.); +1-814-865-9788 (V.K.); +1-814-863-4436 (S.V.K.)
| | - Michele Yon
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Meera Surendran Nair
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Abhinay Gontu
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Santhamani Ramasamy
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Saranya Amirthalingam
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | | | - Ruth H. Nissly
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Shubhada K. Chothe
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Padmaja Jakka
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lindsey LaBella
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Nicole Levine
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Sophie Rodriguez
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Veda Sheersh Boorla
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Tod Stuber
- National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Veterinary Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA 50010, USA
| | | | | | | | - Richard Simon
- City of New York Parks & Recreation, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Katrina L. Toal
- City of New York Parks & Recreation, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Randall J. Olsen
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Disease Research, Center for Infectious Diseases, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - James J. Davis
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Division of Data Science and Learning, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
| | - Dashzeveg Bold
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Natasha N. Gaudreault
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Krishani Dinali Perera
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Yunjeong Kim
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Kyeong-Ok Chang
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Costas D. Maranas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Juergen A. Richt
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - James M. Musser
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Disease Research, Center for Infectious Diseases, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Peter J. Hudson
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Vivek Kapur
- The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Correspondence: (K.J.V.); (V.K.); (S.V.K.); Tel.: +1-814-574-9852 (K.J.V.); +1-814-865-9788 (V.K.); +1-814-863-4436 (S.V.K.)
| | - Suresh V. Kuchipudi
- The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Correspondence: (K.J.V.); (V.K.); (S.V.K.); Tel.: +1-814-574-9852 (K.J.V.); +1-814-865-9788 (V.K.); +1-814-863-4436 (S.V.K.)
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