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Open AccessArticle
Bison, Elk, and Other Captive Wildlife Species Humoral Immune Responses against SARS-CoV-2
by
Mehrnaz Ardalan
Mehrnaz Ardalan 1,
Konner Cool
Konner Cool 1,
Natasha N. Gaudreault
Natasha N. Gaudreault
Dr. Natasha Gaudreault, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Diagnostic and [...]
Dr. Natasha Gaudreault, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, working for the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (www.ceezad.org) and the Center on Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (www.k-state.edu/cezid/). Her areas of expertise and interest are transboundary, emerging, and zoonotic viral disease research with pathogens including Rift Valley fever virus, African and classical swine fever viruses, SARS-CoV-2, mpox, and highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses.
1,
Dashzeveg Bold
Dashzeveg Bold 1,
Catherine Rojas
Catherine Rojas 2,
Anna Mannix
Anna Mannix 2,
Janine Seetahal
Janine Seetahal 2,
Juergen A. Richt
Juergen A. Richt
Dr. Juergen A Richt is the Director of the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal and [...]
Dr. Juergen A Richt is the Director of the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD) and the Director of the NIH COBRE Center on Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (CEZID) at the Kansas State University. He completed his PhD studies in Virology at the University of Giessen and in Veterinary Medicine at the University of München. He is a pioneer in veterinary science, most notably in the “One Health” field. His work on high-consequence pathogens with zoonotic and transboundary potential led to strategies to identify, control, or eradicate such agents. His basic and applied research includes studies on animal influenza viruses (swine, bat, and avian), animal prion diseases, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), African Swine fever virus (ASFV), mpox virus (MPXV), SARS-CoV-2, and Borna Disease virus (BDV).
1 and
Roman M. Pogranichniy
Roman M. Pogranichniy
Dr. Roman M Pogranichniy is a Professor of Virology and the Section Head of Diagnostic Virology and [...]
Dr. Roman M Pogranichniy is a Professor of Virology and the Section Head of Diagnostic Virology and Serology at the Kansas State University, College of Veterinary Medicine. He completed his Master’s studies and his PhD studies at the Iowa State University. He is a veterinarian with advanced training in veterinary microbiology/virology, and his research interests are viral infectious diseases, their pathogenesis, and the development of new diagnostic and preventive methods for these diseases.
1,2,*
1
Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
2
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Submission received: 16 August 2024
/
Revised: 16 September 2024
/
Accepted: 24 September 2024
/
Published: 30 September 2024
Simple Summary
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19, primarily spreads among humans, but there have been cases of transmission between humans and animals, as well as some instances of animal-to-animal transmission. Several zoos have reported cases of large cats such as tigers and lions, gorillas, and other animal species testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, presumably due to contact with humans. White-tailed deer (WTD) are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 and are prevalent throughout the United States with a high population density. Separately, there is limited research and reporting on the susceptibility of bison, elk, and other wildlife species to SARS-CoV-2. This study determines the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence for various captive wildlife, elk, and bison, across different regions in the United States, using several serological tests. The presence of neutralizing antibodies to the virus in cheetahs, gorillas, lions, hippopotamuses, elk, and bison indicates that they are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. This highlights the importance of continuous monitoring of the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in various species that come into close contact with humans.
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19, has been found to infect various domestic and wild animal species. In this study, convenience serum samples from 575 bison, 180 elk, and 147 samples from various wildlife species collected between 2020 and 2023 from several regions in the United States were analyzed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Two commercial ELISA assays based on the inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (sVNT) or the nucleocapsid protein (N-ELISA) of SARS-CoV-2 were used. Positive samples from the sVNT were additionally evaluated using a conventional virus neutralization test (VNT). Our results indicated that 1.2% of bison, 2.2% of elk, and 4.1% of the other wildlife species serum samples were seropositive in the sVNT, whereas 4.2% of bison, 3.3% of elk, and 1.4% of the other captive wildlife species serum samples tested positive by the N-ELISA. Among the sVNT serum samples, two samples from bison, one sample from elk, and five serum samples from other wildlife species (one cheetah, one gorilla, two lions, and one hippopotamus) had neutralizing antibody titers in the VNT, indicating these species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings highlight the importance of broad surveillance efforts for the effective monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in non-human hosts.
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Ardalan, M.; Cool, K.; Gaudreault, N.N.; Bold, D.; Rojas, C.; Mannix, A.; Seetahal, J.; Richt, J.A.; Pogranichniy, R.M.
Bison, Elk, and Other Captive Wildlife Species Humoral Immune Responses against SARS-CoV-2. Animals 2024, 14, 2829.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192829
AMA Style
Ardalan M, Cool K, Gaudreault NN, Bold D, Rojas C, Mannix A, Seetahal J, Richt JA, Pogranichniy RM.
Bison, Elk, and Other Captive Wildlife Species Humoral Immune Responses against SARS-CoV-2. Animals. 2024; 14(19):2829.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192829
Chicago/Turabian Style
Ardalan, Mehrnaz, Konner Cool, Natasha N. Gaudreault, Dashzeveg Bold, Catherine Rojas, Anna Mannix, Janine Seetahal, Juergen A. Richt, and Roman M. Pogranichniy.
2024. "Bison, Elk, and Other Captive Wildlife Species Humoral Immune Responses against SARS-CoV-2" Animals 14, no. 19: 2829.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192829
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