An opportunistic survey reveals an unexpected coronavirus diversity hotspot in North America

Authors

Hon S. Ip, USGS National Wildlife Health CenterFollow
Kathryn M. Griffin, USGS National Wildlife Health CenterFollow
Jeffrey D. Messer, USGS National Wildlife Health CenterFollow
Megan E. Winzeler, USGS National Wildlife Health CenterFollow
Susan A. Shriner, USDA APHIS National Wildlife Research CenterFollow
Mary Lea Killian, USDA APHIS National Veterinary Services LaboratoriesFollow
Mia Kim Torchetti, USDA, Ames, IAFollow
Thomas J. DeLiberto, USDA-APHIS NWRCFollow
Brian R. Amman, CDCFollow
Caitlin M. Cossaboom, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious DiseasesFollow
R. Reid Harvey, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious DiseasesFollow
Natalie M. Wendling, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious DiseasesFollow
Hannah Rettler, Utah Department of HealthFollow
Dean Taylor, AGRICULTURE AND FOODFollow
Jonathan S. Towner, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious DiseasesFollow
Casey Barton Behravesh, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious DiseasesFollow
David S. Blehert, USGS National Wildlife Health CenterFollow

ORCID IDs

Hon S. Ip https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4844-7533

Kathryn M. Griffin https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1809-0019

Susan A. Shriner https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0349-7182

Brian R. Amman https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4726-2361

Caitlin M. Cossaboom https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5020-5408

Jonathan S. Towner https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6473-3049

Date of this Version

10-1-2021

Citation

Ip, H.S.; Griffin, K.M.; Messer, J.D.;Winzeler, M.E.; Shriner, S.A.; Killian, M.L.; K. Torchetti, M.; DeLiberto, T.J.; Amman, B.R.; Cossaboom, C.M.; et al. An Opportunistic Survey Reveals an Unexpected Coronavirus Diversity Hotspot in North America. Viruses 2021, 13, 2016.

https://doi.org/ 10.3390/v13102016

Comments

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license

Abstract

In summer 2020, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected on mink farms in Utah. An interagency One Health response was initiated to assess the extent of the outbreak and included sampling animals from on or near affected mink farms and testing them for SARS-CoV-2 and non-SARS coronaviruses. Among the 365 animals sampled, including domestic cats, mink, rodents, raccoons, and skunks, 261 (72%) of the animals harbored at least one coronavirus. Among the samples that could be further characterized, 127 alphacoronaviruses and 88 betacoronaviruses (including 74 detections of SARS-CoV-2 in mink) were identified. Moreover, at least 10% (n = 27) of the coronavirus-positive animals were found to be co-infected with more than one coronavirus. Our findings indicate an unexpectedly high prevalence of coronavirus among the domestic and wild free-roaming animals tested on mink farms. These results raise the possibility that mink farms could be potential hot spots for future trans-species viral spillover and the emergence of new pandemic coronaviruses.