Coronavirus
I thought I’d share some thoughts about the coronavirus threat that is occupying the news now. I’m not convinced we’ll get accurate information as some deny there is a threat while others may tend to...
Forum Discussion
Add rabbits to the short list of animals that can become infected with SARS-CoV-2. This study did not investigate if rabbits inoculated with the virus can pass the virus onto humans.
Susceptibility of rabbits to SARS-CoV-2
Susceptibility of rabbits to SARS-CoV-2
Abstract
Transmission of severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) between livestock and humans is a potential public health concern. We demonstrate the susceptibility of rabbits to SARS-CoV-2, which excrete infectious virus from the nose and throat upon experimental inoculation. Therefore, investigations on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in farmed rabbits should be considered.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a pandemic only months after its discovery in December 2019 (1). Slowing down its spread requires a full understanding of transmission routes, including those from humans to animals and vice versa. In experimental settings, non-human primates, ferrets, cats, dogs and hamsters have been found to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection (2-4). Moreover, ferrets, cats and hamsters were able to transmit the virus via the air (2, 4, 5). In domestic settings, both dogs and cats have been found to carry the virus, displaying very mild to more severe symptoms, respectively (5). Recently, SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated from mink at multiple Dutch farms. Workers at those farms carried viruses that were highly similar to the viruses detected in mink and phylogenetic analyses supported transmission from mink to workers (6). Thus, measures to control the spread of SARS38
CoV-2 should also include preventing spill over into potential reservoirs, especially since infectious agents can spread rapidly in livestock due to the high densities at which some animals are kept. Given the fact that rabbits are commonly farmed worldwide, we investigated the susceptibility of rabbits to SARS-CoV-2.
