The Latest on COVID in Animals

Recently, there has been increasing discussion about COVID cases found in wild and domesticated animals. At this point, separating the facts from opinions is tough, but we'll try to give you a roundup on the latest discourse.

Here's what we know:

It has been confirmed that the the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been found in at least

29 animals

including companion animals, livestock and wildlife. The vast majority of research is showing that these animals have been infected by humans, but are not transmitting the virus back to humans.

However, Canadian researchers have identified what they believe to be the

f

irst case of transmission

from a deer to human. While they admit that animal-to-human transmission is rare, this findings has raised concerns about the virus mutating in a wildlife host and being shed back to humans.

On March 7, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and World Health Organization (WHO) released a

joint statement

on the prioritization of monitoring SARS-CoV-2 infection in wildlife and preventing the formation of animal reservoirs saying that,

"Current knowledge indicates that wildlife does not play a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in humans, but spread in animal populations can affect the health of these populations and may facilitate the emergence of new virus variants."

Should we be worried about the next variant of concern mutating in wildlife and spreading rapidly among humans?

At this stage it's all opinion, but an important topic of discussion. On the one hand, some researchers posit that

we shouldn't worry about COVID spilling back over to humans

(TL;DR - the virus is a generalist that thrived in infecting as many hosts as possible; if it mutates in wildlife it will become specialized to that species and pose limited risk to humans). Meanwhile it's easy to find the opposing view that

the next variant could come from animals

(TL;DR - infection of animals increases the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in an environment and animals that can sustain the infection can act as a reservoir for the virus to mutate).

What happens now?

For now, preventative measures are being taken to protect humans and animals alike. Many major zoos are beginning to

vaccine animals

after accepted

donated vaccines

from Zoetis - who have offered over 11,000 doses to over 100 mammalian species in 70 zoos. Additional vaccines are

in the works

for companion animals.

As we all try to navigate living through a global pandemic, it is tough to predict how this progresses. However, as veterinary professionals it is important that we stay up to date and vigilant in protecting ourselves and our patients.

Quick hits:

Here are the stories that caught our eyes this week and are worth a read: Canine Solution: How Dog Genetics Is Influencing Human Medicine [University of Wisconsin-Madison]When veterinary and human sciences collaborate, cancer patients of all species benefit [Purdue]New studies find veterinarian shortage could leave 75 million pets without medical care by 2030 [People / Mars Veterinary Health]Veterinary practices team up with Pawlicy Advisor to teach over 300,000 clients about pet insurance [Pawlicy]

Trivia

What is the medical term for a retained surgical sponge?

Bonus points for the etymology of the word.

New on Obi

 The Reading Room - Season 1 

Every week, Obi Veterinary Education adds to it's library of

free resources

with case-based learning series in two specialties:

The Reading Room

with Dr. Ryan Appleby dives into radiology by exploring everything from the foundational concepts to the more complex, weird and wonderful.

qrsTV

with Dr. Lynne O'Sullivan introduces everything you need to know to interpret ECGs with interesting cases released bi-weekly.

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Your weekly dopamine

The Gold Medal Good Boy

When Austrian Paralympian Carina Edlinger crossed the finish line to win her first gold medal in cross-country skiing, her guide dog Riley was by her side. Riley instantly became an instant fan favorite as he accompanied her on the podium and was even awarded

his own gold medal

dog collar.

Forever an Olympic champion ❤️

Trivia Answer

The term is derived from a combination of Latin words “Gossypium” (cotton) and Swahili word “boma” (place of concealment). Remember, always count your sponges IN and OUT.

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