UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WJAC) — Penn State researchers are urging hunters to be careful as recent studies suggest that white-tailed deer could be a reservoir for the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19.
Penn State researchers reference a study out of Iowa that found more than 80% of the white-tailed deer sampled in different parts of the state between Dec. 2020 and Jan. 2021 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
They say the percentage of SARS-CoV-2 positive deer increased throughout the study, with 33% of all deer testing positive.
The findings suggest that white-tailed deer may be a reservoir for the virus to keep circulating which could cause new strains to emerge affecting wildlife and maybe humans, researchers said.
“This is the first direct evidence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in any free-living species, and our findings have important implications for the ecology and long-term persistence of the virus,” said Suresh Kuchipudi, Huck Chair in Emerging Infectious Diseases, clinical professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences, and associate director of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Penn State. “These include spillover to other free-living or captive animals and potential spillback to human hosts. Of course, this highlights that many urgent steps are needed to monitor the spread of the virus in deer and prevent spillback to humans.”
Researchers say there is currently no evidence to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can pass from deer to humans but, still, hunters, and people who live near deer, might want to take precautions when they encounter the animals.
Some of those precautions, researchers say, include wearing protective equipment and getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
Previous studies by the USDA have shown that 40% of white-tailed deer had coronavirus antibodies, nut researchers note that the presence of the antibodies only indicated indirect exposure and didn’t prove infection nor the ability for the virus to transmit.
The new study has been posted on the pre-print server bioRxiv earlier this month and will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
You can read Penn State’s full release here.
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