OmniVira

SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in the North American deer mouse.

Bryan D Griffin1 Mable Chan1 Nikesh Tailor1 Emelissa J Mendoza1 Anders Leung1 Bryce M Warner1,2 Ana T Duggan3 Estella Moffat4 Shihua He1 Lauren Garnett1,2 Kaylie N Tran1 Logan Banadyga1 Alixandra Albietz1 Kevin Tierney1 Jonathan Audet1 Alexander Bello1 Robert Vendramelli1 Amrit S Boese1 Lisa Fernando1 L Robbin Lindsay1,5 Claire M Jardine6 Heidi Wood1 Guillaume Poliquin2,7,8 James E Strong1,2,7 Michael Drebot1,2 David Safronetz1,2 Carissa Embury-Hyatt4 Darwyn Kobasa9,10
Affiliations 10 institutions
  1. Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
  2. Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
  3. Science Technology Cores and Services, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
  4. National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
  5. Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
  6. Department of Pathobiology, Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
  7. Pediatrics & Child Health, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
  8. Office of the Scientific Director, National Microbiology Laboratories, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
  9. Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. [email protected].
  10. Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. [email protected].
PMID34127676 DOI10.1038/s41467-021-23848-9 Year2021 Journal Nature communications Nat Commun Languageeng Statusepublish

Abstract

Widespread circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in humans raises the theoretical risk of reverse zoonosis events with wildlife, reintroductions of SARS-CoV-2 into permissive nondomesticated animals. Here we report that North American deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection following intranasal exposure to a human isolate, resulting in viral replication in the upper and lower respiratory tract with little or no signs of disease. Further, shed infectious virus is detectable in nasal washes, oropharyngeal and rectal swabs, and viral RNA is detectable in feces and occasionally urine. We further show that deer mice are capable of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to naïve deer mice through direct contact. The extent to which these observations may translate to wild deer mouse populations remains unclear, and the risk of reverse zoonosis and/or the potential for the establishment of Peromyscus rodents as a North American reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 remains unknown.

Supporting text Virus Host Location
Animals 1948 Animals, Wild 187 Antibodies, Neutralizing 80 COVID-19 425 Disease Susceptibility 21 Feces 113 Female 289 Histiocytes 1 Humans 1440 Male 224 Neutrophils 2 Peromyscus 4 RNA, Viral 193 SARS-CoV-2 453 United States 46 Zoonoses 397

Evidence records

3 total
Zoonotic Surveillance
1 records · 1 evidence types
Evidence type Virus Isolation
1 records
OVE4860 Virus Isolation
Key finding

Infectious SARS-CoV-2 was isolated from nasal washes and swabs collected from experimentally infected deer mice.

Virus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Host
North American deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus Experimental system
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

Shed infectious virus is detectable in nasal washes, oropharyngeal and rectal swabs, and viral RNA is detectable in feces and occasionally urine.

Sample type
nasal washes | oropharyngeal swabs | rectal swabs
Experimental Infection
2 records · 2 evidence types
Evidence type Host Range Experiment
1 records
OVE4859 Host Range Experiment
Key finding

North American deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were experimentally infected with a human SARS-CoV-2 isolate via intranasal exposure and supported viral replication in the upper and lower respiratory tract.

Virus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Host
North American deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus Experimental system human Homo sapiens Natural host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

North American deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection following intranasal exposure to a human isolate, resulting in viral replication in the upper and lower respiratory tract with little or no signs of disease.

Method
intranasal inoculation | viral replication assessment
Sample type
upper respiratory tract | lower respiratory tract
Experimental system
live animal challenge model after intranasal exposure
Evidence type Experimental Transmission
1 records
OVE4861 Experimental Transmission
Key finding

Infected deer mice experimentally transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to naïve deer mice through direct contact.

Virus
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Host
Peromyscus Experimental system North American deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus Experimental system
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

We further show that deer mice are capable of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to naïve deer mice through direct contact.

Method
direct contact experiment | viral detection in recipients
Experimental system
direct contact transmission model in deer mice