Natural SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Kept Ferrets, Spain
Christian Gortázar, Sandra Barroso‐Arévalo, Elisa Ferreras‐Colino, Julio Isla, Gabriela de la Fuente, Belén Rivera, Lucas Domı́nguez, José de la Fuente, José Manuel Sánchez‐Vizcaíno
Abstract
We found severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA in 6 (8.4%) of 71 ferrets in central Spain and isolated and sequenced virus from 1 oral and 1 rectal swab specimen. Natural infection occurs in kept ferrets when virus circulation among humans is high. However, small ferret collections probably cannot maintain virus circulation.
Topics & Concepts
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)VirologyCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakBetacoronavirusBiologyPandemicCoronavirus InfectionsCoronavirusMedicineOutbreakInfectious disease (medical specialty)PathologyDiseaseAnimal Virus Infections StudiesSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchViral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology