Scientists have confirmed that minks on two fur farms in the Netherlands contracted SARS-COV-2 and passed the disease back to humans. Farmers in the south of the Netherlands noticed minks exhibiting respiratory symptoms in April and had veterinarians test the animals for SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, adenoviral infection, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All tests came back negative – except for SARS-COV-2. Both farms had had workers that had shown symptoms of coronavirus or had been hospitalized. Wim van der Poel, veterinarian and one of the author’s of the study published in Eurosurveillance, speculates that the disease spread through the air.

The animals are in cages with wire tops and closed walls between them…So it probably spread through droplet or aerosol transmission, from the top of one cage to another, when an animal is coughing or heavily breathing.”

Wim van der Poel

There is also evidence to suggest that the virus was passed back to humans from minks on the farms.

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At NB2, one worker had been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalised on 31 March (Figure 1). A clinical sample was retrieved, but the viral load was too low for sequencing analysis. At farm NB1, one person who stayed on the farm, showed mild respiratory disease and was diagnosed with SARS-CoV by 28 April. Based on preliminary sequencing results, this person was assumed to have attracted the virus from mink.”

Eurosurveillance

Since the news, the Dutch government has announced that all mink farms in the Netherlands will be screened, and all employees are required to use protective clothing. In addition, more than 500,000 minks have been culled to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus to humans.

A Malay tiger named Nadia at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes CoVID-19. Six other big cats at the zoo, three tigers and three lions, are also displaying similar symptoms. These symptoms include coughs and a loss of appetite. The test used by the zoo’s veterinary team is not the same one as used by healthcare providers, and the zoo was able to confirm Nadia’s diagnosis after sending samples to the New York State Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The zoo has been closed since March 16th, so it likely the tiger contracted the virus from an asymptomatic zookeeper.

It’s the first time, to our knowledge, that a [wild] animal has gotten sick from COVID-19 from a person…It’s the only thing that makes sense…”

Paul Calle, chief veterinarian for the Bronx Zoo

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Nadia is not the first animal that has tested positive for SARS-CoV2. Two dogs in Hong Kong and a domestic cat in Belgium have also been confirmed to have the virus. Cat’s are particularly susceptible to the coronavirus, and a recent study has found that cats are able to transmit the virus to other cats through respiratory droplets.

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Health Organization, there is no evidence that SARS-Cov can be transmitted from domestic pets like cats and dogs to humans.

Sources:

• Cats can infect each other with coronavirus, Chinese study finds – The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Tiger at Bronx Zoo tests positive for Covid-19 – BBC