COVID-19 is mutating in deer and many contract it from humans: US study

Researchers investigating the origins and transmission of the deadly COVID-19 virus have recently identified numerous cases of the virus in white-tailed deer in Ohio, United States.

Scientists at Ohio State University have found that the virus continues to spread among animals and re-emerge in humans, and its genetic makeup is undergoing rapid evolution.

According to an article published in Nature Communications, scientists collected 1,522 nasal swabs from free-ranging deer in Ohio between November 2021 and March 2022, analyzed them, and found that more than 10% of the samples were infected with coronavirus. By analyzing the virus’s genetic material, researchers determined that at least 30 of these deer infections had been transmitted by humans.

“We don’t really understand what the interface is,” said Andrew Bowman, associate professor of veterinary preventive medicine at Ohio State University. His research team investigated the presence of the COVID-19 virus in deer populations in Ohio.

According to a report by Time, deer do not get sick from SARS-CoV-2 like humans do, and Bowman’s analysis showed that deer can carry SARS-CoV-2 for six to nine months, which may explain how it is transmitted differently. one animal to another. . And if deer are a major reservoir of the virus, they could pose a threat to people, as deer give SARS-CoV-2 another chance to replicate and generate mutations.

This finding implies that the occurrence of virus contagion between humans and animals is more frequent than initially assumed, emphasizing the need for sustained surveillance and response efforts to control the COVID-19 virus worldwide.