Study: Coronavirus Found in 40 Percent of Whitetails

Wild U.S. Deer Found With Coronavirus Antibodies

That’s the title of an article at National Geographic that analyzes a study from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) analyzed blood samples from more than 600 deer in Michigan, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania over the past decade, and they discovered that 152 wild deer, 40 percent of the deer tested from January through March 2021, had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Another three deer from January 2020 also had antibodies.

Similar stories have also been posted in The Smithsonian and Science.

One of the most interesting looks comes from Jürgen Richt, DVM, PhD, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University.

Richt was involved directly with the study and wrote a guest post for USDA.gov.

The “Investigation of Sars-Cov-2 Susceptibility in Ruminants and the Development of Diagnostic Tools” project, funded with a $350,000 grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture,  is exploring the risk that SARS-CoV-2 poses to deer, and ultimately to develop tools to protect the health and security of livestock and humans.

This project’s first stage according to Richut was to determine whether deer cells can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 and if white tail deer can become infected and transmit SARS-CoV-2. This would reveal critical information for decision-makers in the quest to develop and implement proper mitigation and control measures.

The team discovered that in white tail deer and mule deer primary lung cells are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The researchers then explored SARS-CoV-2 transmission in infected white tail deer. Results concluded that adult white tail deer are susceptible to the virus and can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to uninfected white tail deer. The final step of the project, currently underway, is to develop diagnostic tools to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection in deer.

“As we learn more about the potential for SARS-CoV-2 to infect and spread among animals, we have to improve our diagnostic capabilities to diagnose this virus infection in different animal species,” Dr. Richt said in the USDA news release.

“Beyond that, white-tailed deer are a significant food, recreation and economic source, making our understanding of the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on them important.”

Dr. Richt also said  in the piece “this work will help to device control measures among white-tailed deer and other wildlife species or alternative livestock in general”.

We have already reached out to high level wildlife biologists who specialize in whitetails and will be doing a follow-up story in the coming week. Look for more here at fishgame.com as this story develops

TF&G Staff