Experimental Infection of Mink with SARS-COV-2 Omicron Variant and Subsequent Clinical Disease
Jenni Virtanen, Kirsi Aaltonen, Kristel Kegler, Vinaya Venkat, Thanakorn Niamsap, Lauri Kareinen, Rasmus Malmgren, Olga Kivelä, Nina S. Atanasova, Pamela Österlund, Teemu Smura, Antti Sukura, Tomas Strandin, Lara Dutra, Olli Vapalahti, Heli Nordgren, Ravi Kant, Tarja Sironen
Abstract
S ARS-CoV-2 has been detected in farmed and feral American mink (Neovison vison) in multiple countries, and extensive environmental contamination and human-to-mink and mink-to-human transmission has been documented (1-5). These factors have led to strict measures in mink farms and mink-farming countries to prevent the spread of the disease. In late 2021, a new SARS-CoV-2 variant (Omicron), characterized by possibly milder symptoms and more efficient human-tohuman transmission, was detected, but its infectivity and spread in American mink is unknown (6,7).