@article{f2666823ce2147f6baacbe8d4ef1a3bf,
title = "Multiple spillovers from humans and onward transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer",
abstract = "Many animal species are susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and could act as reservoirs; however, transmission in free-living animals has not been documented. White-tailed deer, the predominant cervid in North America, are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and experimentally infected fawns can transmit the virus. To test the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 is circulating in deer, 283 retropharyngeal lymph node (RPLN) samples collected from 151 freeliving and 132 captive deer in Iowa from April 2020 through January of 2021 were assayed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Ninety-four of the 283 (33.2%) deer samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA as assessed by RT-PCR. Notably, following the November 2020 peak of human cases in Iowa, and coinciding with the onset of winter and the peak deer hunting season, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 80 of 97 (82.5%) RPLN samples collected over a 7-wk period. Whole genome sequencing of all 94 positive RPLN samples identified 12 SARS-CoV-2 lineages, with B.1.2 (n = 51; 54.5%) and B.1.311 (n = 19; 20%) accounting for ∼75% of all samples. The geographic distribution and nesting of clusters of deer and human lineages strongly suggest multiple human-to-deer transmission events followed by subsequent deer-to-deer spread. These discoveries have important implications for the long-term persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Our findings highlight an urgent need for a robust and proactive {"}One Health{"} approach to obtain enhanced understanding of the ecology, molecular evolution, and dissemination of SARS-CoV-2.",
keywords = "Animal reservoir, Deer, One Health, SARS-CoV-2, Spillover, Disease Reservoirs/virology, Animals, SARS-CoV-2/genetics, Zoonoses/virology, Deer/virology, Humans, COVID-19/transmission",
author = "Kuchipudi, {Suresh V.} and Meera Surendran-Nair and Ruden, {Rachel M.} and Michele Yon and Nissly, {Ruth H.} and Vandegrift, {Kurt J.} and Nelli, {Rahul K.} and Lingling Li and Jayarao, {Bhushan M.} and Maranas, {Costas D.} and Nicole Levine and Katriina Willgert and Conlan, {Andrew J.K.} and Olsen, {Randall J.} and Davis, {James J.} and Musser, {James M.} and Hudson, {Peter J.} and Vivek Kapur",
note = "Funding Information: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We thank Abhinay Gontu, Shubhada Chothe, Padmaja Jakka, and Abirami Ravichnadran for help with tissue homogenization, and Vincent Nelson, Lindsey LaBella, and Corey Price for help with sample processing. We thank Matthew Ojeda Saavedra, Sindy Pena, Kristina Reppond, Madison N. Shyer, Jessica Cambric, Ryan Gadd, Rashi M. Thakur, Akanksha Batajoo, and Regan Mangham for genome sequencing. We are grateful to Drs. Suelee Robbe-Austerman, Tod Stuber, and Kristina Lantz, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory, for invaluable assistance and wise counsel. This study was possible through the collective efforts of Iowa DNR field staff, with special thanks to Riggs Wilson for help with sample inventory. The study was funded by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (S.V.K. and V.K.); USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Award 2020-67015-32175; US Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program Grant Awards FY20 F19AF00434 (19/20 samples), FY21 F20AF00309 (20/21 samples), and FY22 F21AF01914 (21/22 samples); and the Iowa DNR Fish and Game Protection Fund. This project was also funded, in part, by the Houston Methodist Academic Institute Infectious Diseases Fund (J.M.M. and R.J.O.) and supported, in part, by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Department of Health and Human Services, Contract 75N93019C00076 (J.J.D.). K.J.V. was partially supported by the NSF Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases program (Grant 1619072). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Copyright {\textcopyright} 2022 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.",
year = "2022",
month = feb,
day = "8",
doi = "10.1073/pnas.2121644119",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "119",
journal = "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",
issn = "0027-8424",
publisher = "National Academy of Sciences",
number = "6",
}