Domestic and wild animal SARS-CoV-2 infection and their role as potential reservoir species

Abstract

It is known that humans can infect other animals with SARS-CoV-2 as many reverse zoonotic spillover events have been documented in the past two years. These events include the Danish and Dutch mink farm outbreaks, the Canadian and American white-tailed deer SARS-CoV-2 infections and the Hong-Kong human-to-hamster reverse SARS-CoV-2 zoonosis. Those events could lead to the emergence of new reservoir species capable of generating not only a viral reservoir for future animal-to-human transmissions but also a source of new variants with altered pathogenicity and mortality in humans. To prevent the continued spreading of novel coronaviruses, it is necessary to implement a One Health approach, in which multiple sectors communicate and collaborate to see the end of the ongoing global pandemic. To curb the disease, systematic animal SARS-CoV-2 testing and surveillance programs need to be implemented globally along with susceptible species vaccination.