Close X
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
ADVT 
International

Covid spreads in deer and other animals in US

Darpan News Desk IANS, 17 Nov, 2021 09:02 AM
  • Covid spreads in deer and other animals in US

New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) Scientists have found SARS-CoV-2 spreads like any other virus among white-tailed deer and other wild animals in the United States, CNN reported.

People are the likely source, but that doesn't mean the virus can't evolve among these animals and then spill back into humans, and researchers are worried about what this spread means for the risk of future pandemics, the report said.

There's little doubt SARS-Cov-2, the virus that caused the ongoing pandemic, came from an animal -- almost certainly a bat. And the prevailing scientific opinion is that there is an intermediate host, an animal of some sort, that was infected by a bat or bats and then infected people, the report added.

It's also clear that people can infect animals. Pets such as cats, zoo animals such as gorillas and snow leopards and farmed mink can all be infected. Multiple cases have been reported, and evidence of changes in the viruses infecting mink have led to mass culls of those animals on fur farms, the report added.

The latest species to capture the attention of wildlife biologists are white-tailed deer. It's little surprise that farmed deer would catch the virus from people. Any visitor to a deer farm knows the animals behave like goats, shoving their wet noses into the pockets, hands and faces of human visitors or caregivers as they clamor for food and treats -- and setting themselves up for infection.

"If somebody might bite an apple and throw it or even if I sneeze in a tissue and drop it," speculated Dr Suresh Kuchipudi of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University, who helped lead one study published earlier this month that found a third of deer they tested across Iowa between September of 2020 and January of 2021 showed evidence of infection.

Sewage has been found to carry the virus, so polluted water might be a source, he added, or people spitting or contaminating the environment in other ways. The deer may then spread the virus to one another, the report added.

MORE International ARTICLES

Jaipur Receives UNESCO World Heritage City Certificate

I have brought a message from UNESCO's Paris headquarters. The global community has recognised the efforts of the people of Jaipur for preservation of cultural heritage.

Jaipur Receives UNESCO World Heritage City Certificate

Boston Man Named 'Kunal Kamra' Stopped From Boarding Air India Flight

Boston Man Named 'Kunal Kamra' Stopped From Boarding Air India Flight
Boston resident Kamra, who was visiting his family in India, was reportedly stuck at the Jaipur airport as the airline confused him with the controversial comedian.

Boston Man Named 'Kunal Kamra' Stopped From Boarding Air India Flight

11-Month-Old Indian Baby Wins $1 Million At Dubai Duty Free Raffle

11-Month-Old Indian Baby Wins $1 Million At Dubai Duty Free Raffle
Mohamed Salah, an 11-month-old baby from India's Kerala, has joined the long list of Dubai Duty Free (DDF) millennium millionaires.

11-Month-Old Indian Baby Wins $1 Million At Dubai Duty Free Raffle

Imran Khan Admits India Won't Reverse Kashmir Decision

Imran Khan Admits India Won't Reverse Kashmir Decision
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday, for the first time, acknowledged the finality of the reorganization of Jammu & Kashmir state and revocation of its special status by the Modi government.    

Imran Khan Admits India Won't Reverse Kashmir Decision

Taranjt Singh Sandhu Arrives In US As Ambassador-Designate

A 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service Official, Sandhu has had two successful stints at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC -- the last one being as Deputy Ambassador from July 2013 to January 2017.  

Taranjt Singh Sandhu Arrives In US As Ambassador-Designate

Indian-Origin UK Trader Suspended For Stealing Food From Canteen

Paras Shah, 31, had allegedly taken food from the company's European headquarters in London's Canary Wharf, the Metro newspaper said in the report citing the Financial Times as saying.

Indian-Origin UK Trader Suspended For Stealing Food From Canteen