The recent decision by the Danish government to kill millions of weasels due to concerns about the corona virus, which has virtually destroyed an important national industry, has drawn the attention of environmentalists and environmentalists to the vulnerability of animals to the Covid-19 virus and the consequences of animal infection for humans. More worrying is the possibility that the virus could mutate in animals and become more contagious or dangerous to humans. In Denmark, the virus is transmitted from humans to weasels and then back to humans, and in the process, it mutates.
Except for the event of an initial overflow of a species unknown to humans, weasels are the only animals that transmit the corona virus to humans. Other animals, such as dogs and cats, have also been infected as a result of exposure to humans; But there is no known case of a person who has contracted the virus as a result of contact with pets.
Virus versions that have mutated into weasels and spread to humans are not “more contagious than before” or cause more severe disease in humans. But one variant found so far in 12 people shows lower response to antibodies in laboratory tests. Danish health officials were concerned that the effectiveness of vaccines under construction for this variant would decline and decided to take all possible measures to prevent its spread. These include the killing of all the weasels in the country and the quarantine of the northern part of the country where the mutated virus was found. The UK has banned travelers from Denmark who are not British citizens.
Weasels are not the only animals that can be infected with the corona virus. Dogs, cats, tigers, hamsters, monkeys and engineered mice are also genetically infected. Dogs and cats, as well as tigers, do not seem to be affected much by the disease. Other animals used in laboratory studies have shown different responses.
Public health experts are concerned that any potentially infectious disease could become a repository for the virus to reappear at any time and infect humans. As shown in weasels, the virus may mutate into other animal species. Although most mutations appear to be harmless, it is possible that SARS-CoV-2 could become a more dangerous virus by recombination with another coronavirus. Environmentalists are also concerned about its impact on species of animals that are currently in trouble.
One method of studying the susceptibility of animal species has been to study the genomes of animals and to determine which of them has a genetic sequence encoding a protein called the ACE2 receptor that helps the virus attach to a host cell. In this regard, a group of researchers studied the genomes of more than 400 animals. Another group did a similar study on primates, which are often infected with human respiratory viruses.
Dr. Mellin and colleagues have warned park and zoo officials about the dangers of the Corona virus. Many of these centers have increased the limitations of interaction. Zarrin Machanda of Tufts University, which studies the behavior of chimpanzees in Uganda, says Kibale National Park has increased safety measures due to globalization. “We are always careful about respiratory viruses,” he says. Because such viruses are the leading cause of death for chimpanzees in Kibala National Park. “Even a sad human cold can be fatal.”
Tony Goldberg, a veterinarian at the University of Wisconsin and head of the Eco-Health project in Kibale, says he has seen the devastation of respiratory disease among chimpanzees. The deadly outbreak in the park in 2013 was the result of human rhinovirus type C, which is the most common cause of colds in the world. Until then, the virus had never been seen in chimpanzees. Dr. Goldberg says the bad thing is that SARS-CoV-2 is transferred to an animal tank and can reappear from there.
“To date, we have tested 282 wildlife specimens from 22 different species, and none of them were positive,” said Keith Zawatsky, coordinator of Animal Monitoring for a Pets and Other Animals Practice Project at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.” They also tested 538 pets, including those in families with people with Covid-19, and none showed signs of active virus.
Dr. Zawatsky says the lab also did a blood test in order to find antibodies to the virus and found antibodies. Pets seem to get infected but do not get sick or transmit the virus.
