Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 15 Roundup: Many countries around the world have reported animal infections with the new crown virus
Xinhua News Agency
Since last year, a variety of animals around the world have been found infected with the new crown virus, including beavers, deer, mink, orangutans, tigers, lions, cats and dogs.
The Mongolian National Zoonotic Research Center said on the 11th that Mongolia reported for the first time a new case of animal infection with the new crown, and at least 7 beavers detected a mutated new coronavirus Delta strain. Infected beavers develop symptoms such as coughing and runny nose, and all of these beavers have now recovered.
A news report published on the website of the British magazine "Nature" recently said that us department of agriculture researchers conducted a new coronavirus antibody analysis study on the serum samples of some white-tailed deer in the northeast of the United States and found that one-third of the white-tailed deer sampled had new coronavirus-related antibodies in their bodies, which indicated that they had been infected with the new crown virus.
Researchers reportedly tested 385 white-tailed deer blood samples collected in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York from January to March 2021 and found that 40% of the samples were able to detect antibodies related to the new crown virus, but the deer surveyed had no signs of disease.
After testing some of the earlier samples, the researchers found that 3 of the samples collected in early 2020 detected related antibodies; in 2019, 1 sample detected related antibodies. Taken in 2020 and 2021 samples combined, the proportion of white-tailed deer serum samples detecting covid-19-related antibodies in the northeast of the United States is one-third.
In a press release issued by the French Ministry of Agriculture in November 2020, the French National Health and Safety Agency began a scientific research project in the middle of that month to test four mink farms for the presence of the new crown virus, and the spread of the new crown virus has been found in a farm in the El-Loire department. The French Ministry of Agriculture and other departments immediately instructed the farm to immediately culled about 1,000 minks farmed here and destroyed the relevant products to protect public health.
Coincidentally, the Danish government announced in November 2020 that, in view of the fact that there have been many cases in the country where mink have transmitted the mutated new crown virus to people, the government has decided to culling all farmed mink in the country and implement stricter epidemic prevention restrictions on seven cities with more mink farms.
Danish Health Minister Magnus Hoynik said at a news conference at the time that the health department had been aware of the transmission of the new coronavirus from mink to people for some time, and the National Serum Institute found that the first case of "mink-to-human" in Denmark could be traced back to August 2020.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also announced in December 2020 that a wild marten in Utah was infected with the new crown virus, the first case of wild animal infection in the United States. U.S. Department of Agriculture staff discovered the case when screening wild animals near mink farms in Utah where the coronavirus has been infected.
The World Health Organization said late last year that six countries, including Denmark, the United States, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, had reported the detection of the coronavirus on mink farms. WHO said at the time that the new crown virus was transmitted from humans to mink, which then spread to each other and was at risk of re-transmission to humans. Denmark has found several cases of mink transmitting the mutated coronavirus to humans. Medical experts and health officials around the world are studying the threat that animals infected with the new crown virus can pose to people.
In addition, from March to April 2020, the Bronx Zoo in New York City, USA, confirmed that 5 tigers and 3 African lions were infected with the new crown virus. In January, several gorillas at San Diego Wildlife Park in California tested positive for COVID-19, the first time a primate other than humans has been found to be infected with the new coronavirus. In addition, since last year, many countries and regions have reported incidents of pet cats and dogs infected with the new crown virus. (Written by: Wang Zhao; Participating reporters: Asgang, Li Wen, Su Liya, Zhang Jiawei, Xu Xiaolei, Lin Jing, Wang Yijun) (End)