COVID is widespread in Virginia wildlife, study finds
5 months, 2 weeks ago

COVID is widespread in Virginia wildlife, study finds

Salon  

While COVID cases are going up in humans lately, animals have to worry about the virus too — and sick wildlife pose a threat to humans, because they can spread pathogens back and forth, giving them the opportunity to evolve new, more infectious mutations. A recent study finds that almost half of the species examined in Virginia were either previously or are currently infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Importantly, the scientists observed previously unreported viral mutations in the common SARS-CoV-2 strains similar to markers in the Omicron variant widely circulating among humans at that time. "The virus can jump from humans to wildlife when we are in contact with them, like a hitchhiker switching rides to a new, more suitable host," co-senior author Dr. Carla Finkielstein said in a Virginia Tech press release.

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History of this topic

As California bird flu outbreak worsens, a Missouri patient who caught it is alarming experts
3 months ago

As California bird flu outbreak worsens, a Missouri patient who caught it is alarming experts

Salon  

The H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu, has created an enduring crisis this year, massacring millions of birds and other wild animals, while stirring outbreaks in dairy farms across the U.S. As the number of confirmed bird flu cases continues to climb in various states across the country, many public health experts are anxiously awaiting results from testing performed …

Dozens of viruses detected in Chinese fur farm animals
4 months, 1 week ago

Dozens of viruses detected in Chinese fur farm animals

The Hindu  

Dozens of viruses have been detected mixing in animals at fur farms in China, some of which are new and have the potential to spill over into humans, researchers said on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. Virologist Edward Holmes, who has led research into Covid-19, told AFP he felt that the global fur farming industry “is one most likely ways by …

Humans give more viruses to animals than they give us, study finds
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Humans give more viruses to animals than they give us, study finds

Hindustan Times  

Some of the deadliest diseases to stalk humankind have come from pathogens that jumped from animals to people. "This really highlights our enormous impact on the environment and the animals around us," said Cedric Tan, a doctoral student in computational biology at the University College London Genetics Institute, lead author of the study published this week in the journal Nature …

Can dogs get Covid?
1 year, 5 months ago

Can dogs get Covid?

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In a press release, the government website said that “all available evidence” suggested that the …

The coronavirus has made itself at home in animals. Why that ramps up the risk for people
1 year, 7 months ago

The coronavirus has made itself at home in animals. Why that ramps up the risk for people

LA Times  

The COVID-19 pandemic is receding fast into our collective memory. Still, some are capable of transmitting the virus to other members of their species, just like the asymptomatic humans who became “silent spreaders.” The coronavirus’ ability to infect so many different animals, and to spread within some of those populations, is worrying news: It means there’s virtually no chance the …

COVID detected in a California mule deer, first wildlife case in state
1 year, 8 months ago

COVID detected in a California mule deer, first wildlife case in state

LA Times  

California wildlife officials have confirmed the state’s first case of COVID-19 in a wild animal, detected in a mule deer killed in 2021 in El Dorado County. That disease has never been found in the state’s deer or elk populations, but fish and wildlife department routinely monitors for it, the agency said. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will …

America is 'fundamentally unprepared' for zoonotic diseases
1 year, 10 months ago

America is 'fundamentally unprepared' for zoonotic diseases

Daily Mail  

With the US teetering on the brink of nuclear war with Russia and gloomy warnings about climate change, many believe these events could end the human race. In an editorial published today, they claimed America is 'fundamentally unprepared', despite the Covid pandemic being so fresh in people's minds, as well as the recent bird flu and Marburg virus outbreak scares. …

Deer could be harbouring old COVID variants: Should we be worried?
1 year, 11 months ago

Deer could be harbouring old COVID variants: Should we be worried?

Firstpost  

The alpha and gamma variants of the coronavirus continued to circulate and evolve in white-tailed deer, even after they stopped spreading widely among people, a new study suggests. For the new study, Diel and his colleagues analysed about 5,500 tissue samples collected from deer killed by hunters in New York state from September through December in 2020 and 2021. The …

Covid-19 variants still transmissible between species, finds new study
2 years, 1 month ago

Covid-19 variants still transmissible between species, finds new study

Hindustan Times  

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is still highly transmissible between mammals, according to a study based on computer simulations. The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, show how the viral spike proteins in several SARS-CoV-2 variants interact with the host cell receptors known as ACE2 in both humans and various bats of genus Rhinolophus. "We were hoping to see …

EXPLAINER: Is COVID-19 winding down? Scientists say no.
2 years, 4 months ago

EXPLAINER: Is COVID-19 winding down? Scientists say no.

Associated Press  

Is the coronavirus on its way out? Topol said the virus “just has too many ways to work around our current strategies, and it’ll just keep finding people, finding them again, and self-perpetuating.” HOW WILL THE VIRUS MUTATE? “Every time we think we’ve seen the peak transmission, peak immune escape properties, the virus exceeds that by another significant notch,” Topol …

EXPLAINER: Is COVID-19 winding down? Scientists say no.
2 years, 4 months ago

EXPLAINER: Is COVID-19 winding down? Scientists say no.

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Still, living with COVID "should not necessarily be a …

How many animal species have caught COVID? First global tracker has (partial) answers
2 years, 5 months ago

How many animal species have caught COVID? First global tracker has (partial) answers

NPR  

How many animal species have caught COVID? It's preliminary — but still helpful The interactive visualization lets users explore which animals have gotten COVID, how many cases were reported for each species and the source of the data. For example, comparing case counts from country to country isn't useful for understanding which countries have the most cases in animals because …

Hotter Climate Could Cause Spread of Thousands of Viruses from Animals to Humans, Study Predicts
2 years, 8 months ago

Hotter Climate Could Cause Spread of Thousands of Viruses from Animals to Humans, Study Predicts

News 18  

The world has seen how the novel coronavirus that jumped into humans wreaked an unprecedented havoc across countries in the last two years. Now, a new modelling study has estimated how the ongoing climate change could further raise the risk of such infectious diseases jumping from animals to humans in the coming years, especially in Southeast Asia. “We need to …

US scientists detect Omicron variant for first time in deer
2 years, 10 months ago

US scientists detect Omicron variant for first time in deer

Deccan Chronicle  

Washington: Some white-tailed deer living in the US are actively infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a study. The yet-to-be peer-reviewed study, posted recently on the preprint repository bioRxiv, also found neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in one of the Omicron-infected deer, suggesting that, like humans, these animals can be reinfected with the …

First likely case of Covid jumping from wild deer to a human reported in Canada
2 years, 10 months ago

First likely case of Covid jumping from wild deer to a human reported in Canada

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, …

Omicron found in deer: Previous cases of COVID in animals, impact on humans
2 years, 11 months ago

Omicron found in deer: Previous cases of COVID in animals, impact on humans

Firstpost  

In August, the US government said it found the world’s first cases of COVID-19 in wild deer in Ohio, expanding the list of animals known to have tested positive for the disease The discovery of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in a white-tailed deer in New York has left scientists concerned that the deer species could become host of a …

Discovery of Omicron in New York deer raises concern over possible new variants
2 years, 11 months ago

Discovery of Omicron in New York deer raises concern over possible new variants

India Today  

The discovery of the Omicron variant in white-tailed deer in New York has raised concerns that the species, numbering 30 million in the United States, could become hosts of a new coronavirus strain, a lead researcher said on Tuesday. Blood and some nasal swab samples from 131 deer captured on New York's Staten Island revealed that nearly 15% had virus …

Bird Flu Is Back in the US. No One Knows What Comes Next
2 years, 11 months ago

Bird Flu Is Back in the US. No One Knows What Comes Next

Wired  

In the first days of the new year, on the marshy coastal edge of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, a hunter shot an American widgeon, a rusty-fronted duck with a pale beak and a brilliant green stripe. The news of what was in the sample percolated through a pyramid of agencies, and on January 14 the US Department of Agriculture revealed why …

Can your pet get COVID-19?
3 years ago

Can your pet get COVID-19?

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Can your pet get COVID-19? Yes, pets and other animals can get the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, but health officials say the risk of them spreading it to people is low. People with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should avoid contact with pets, farm animals and wildlife, as well as with other people, according to the U.S. Centers …

Pandemic mystery: Scientists focus on COVID’s animal origins
3 years, 1 month ago

Pandemic mystery: Scientists focus on COVID’s animal origins

Associated Press  

Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the origin of the virus tormenting the world remains shrouded in mystery. “The lab-leak scenario gets a lot of attention, you know, on places like Twitter,” but “there’s no evidence that this virus was in a lab,” said University of Utah scientist Stephen Goldstein, who with 20 others wrote an article in the …

Column: A new research paper adds to the evidence that COVID-19 came from animals, not a Chinese lab
3 years, 1 month ago

Column: A new research paper adds to the evidence that COVID-19 came from animals, not a Chinese lab

LA Times  

Medical staff help a patient walk into the hospital in Wuhan, China, in January 2020 as the pandemic was beginning. A new peer-reviewed research paper points to the likelihood that the COVID-19 pandemic originated at a seafood and wildlife market in Wuhan, China, rather than from a Chinese laboratory studying bat viruses. Worobey’s finding that the earliest identified COVID-19 cases …

Scientists find 18 more viruses from China's wet markets
3 years, 1 month ago

Scientists find 18 more viruses from China's wet markets

India TV News  

Highlights The origins of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has been linked with a seafood market in Wuhan The first cases of SARS-CoV-2 likely emerged from animal to human transmission at Wuhan's wet market An international team of scientists has identified 18 mammalian viruses, which pose high risk to humans and domestic animals, from China's infamous wet markets. China has maintained …

China's wildlife is a pandemic waiting to happen,' study finds
3 years, 2 months ago

China's wildlife is a pandemic waiting to happen,' study finds

Deccan Chronicle  

Wildlife species sold in wet markets in China were linked to the emergence of SARS and Covid-19. A study of more than a dozen species of game animals traded, sold and commonly consumed as exotic food in China identified 71 mammalian viruses, including 18 deemed “potentially high-risk” to people and domestic animals. “This study highlights exactly why the wildlife trade …

Denver Zoo reports world’s first coronavirus cases in hyenas
3 years, 2 months ago

Denver Zoo reports world’s first coronavirus cases in hyenas

Associated Press  

DENVER — Two hyenas at the Denver Zoo have tested positive for the coronavirus, the first confirmed cases among the animals worldwide, a national veterinary lab announced Friday. Samples from a variety of animals at the zoo, including the spotted hyenas, were tested after several lions at the facility became ill, according to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories. Zoo officials …

LSU vet school lab testing pet cats and dogs for COVID-19
3 years, 2 months ago

LSU vet school lab testing pet cats and dogs for COVID-19

Associated Press  

— The Louisiana State University veterinary school’s diagnostic lab is providing free COVID-19 testing for dogs and cats in Louisiana through the end of the year, the school said Wednesday. However, scientists have little data on cases in which the virus that causes COVID-19 may have contributed to an animal’s death, said Gary Balsamo, Louisiana’s public health veterinarian and assistant …

White-tailed deer are carriers of coronavirus, according to new report
3 years, 2 months ago

White-tailed deer are carriers of coronavirus, according to new report

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Of the 445,000-strong deer population in …

Coronavirus carrying animals sold at Wuhan wet markets for years, finds study
3 years, 4 months ago

Coronavirus carrying animals sold at Wuhan wet markets for years, finds study

India TV News  

Animals known as carriers of coronaviruses were sold at local wet markets for years, finds a new study supporting the theory that the Covid-19 is the result of virus jumping from animals to humans. Researchers from the Chinese government's Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation, the University of Oxford in the UK and the University of British Columbia …

Up to 40% of wild deer population in US exposed to coronavirus, study finds
3 years, 5 months ago

Up to 40% of wild deer population in US exposed to coronavirus, study finds

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Research in Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania by the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal …

Cats and dogs can contract coronavirus, Utrecht University study shows
3 years, 6 months ago

Cats and dogs can contract coronavirus, Utrecht University study shows

NL Times  

The coronavirus infection can commonly be found in cats and dogs whose owners also were infected, researchers from Utrecht University concluded. "If you have Covid, you should avoid contact with your cat or dog, just as you would do with other people," Els Broens, from Utrecht University, told BBC. "The main concern is not the animals' health but the potential …

Editorial: COVID ‘herd immunity’ may be out of reach. Deal with it
3 years, 8 months ago

Editorial: COVID ‘herd immunity’ may be out of reach. Deal with it

LA Times  

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have collectively focused on that point in the future when so many people have been inoculated or have obtained natural immunity, normal life could resume and this painful period would dissolve into the mists of history. But it seems that this magical moment in which the U.S. hits “herd immunity” and COVID-19 …

Wild Recovery: Protecting nature and preventing the next pandemic
3 years, 8 months ago

Wild Recovery: Protecting nature and preventing the next pandemic

Al Jazeera  

earthrise looks at protecting wildlife and preventing pandemics through the stories of two endangered mammals which have been investigated for links to COVID-19. In southern India, locals are safeguarding the only remaining home of one critically endangered bat. And disease ecologist, Jonathan Epstein, explains how our encroachment on nature is making another outbreak “almost guaranteed”. With films made by Untamed …

WHO confirms possibility of Covid-19 transmission from humans to cats, dogs, tigers
3 years, 9 months ago

WHO confirms possibility of Covid-19 transmission from humans to cats, dogs, tigers

Hindustan Times  

The World Health Organisation confirms the possibility of transmission of Covid-19 from humans to cats, dogs, minks, raccoon dogs, lions and tigers, WHO representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic said on Monday. REUTERS/Sayed Sheasha "The Covid-19 virus spreads mainly through human-to-human transmission, but there is evidence of human-to-animal transmission as it is a zoonotic virus," Vujnovic said in an interview to …

Coronavirus ‘very likely’ to have passed to humans from bats via unknown animal, WHO report says
3 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus ‘very likely’ to have passed to humans from bats via unknown animal, WHO report says

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Coronavirus is “very likely” to have first passed from bats to …

WHO draft report says animals are likely source of covid-19
3 years, 9 months ago

WHO draft report says animals are likely source of covid-19

Live Mint  

Beijing, 29 March: A joint WHO-China study on the origins of covid-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press. However, the report says that “the evolutionary distance between these bat viruses …

WHO report says animals likely source of COVID
3 years, 9 months ago

WHO report says animals likely source of COVID

India TV News  

A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely”, according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press. A World Health Organisation official said late last week that he expected it would be …

WHO-China study on COVID-19 origin says transmission from bats to humans via another animal 'very likely'
3 years, 9 months ago

WHO-China study on COVID-19 origin says transmission from bats to humans via another animal 'very likely'

ABC  

A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario. Key points: The Associated Press says it has obtained a draft copy of the report that outlines the study's findings Overall, the findings are largely as expected and left many questions unanswered The …

Scientists may have figured out how SARS-CoV-2 jumped from animals to humans
3 years, 9 months ago

Scientists may have figured out how SARS-CoV-2 jumped from animals to humans

Salon  

The origin story for the novel coronavirus was always a bit nebulous. A member of a World Health Organization investigative team told NPR earlier this week that they believe southern Chinese wildlife farms were most likely the source of the outbreak; they noted that the Chinese government shut down these farms in February 2020. "They take exotic animals, like civets, …

SARS-CoV-2 virus can multiply in animals: Study
3 years, 10 months ago

SARS-CoV-2 virus can multiply in animals: Study

Deccan Chronicle  

HYDERABAD: Testing on animals for efficacy of Covid-19 vaccine hides the true possible potential of the SARS-CoV-2’s ability to make the leap from humans to various animals, and the impact of such a jump, it is feared. Among animals that were tested for vaccine efficacy in India, after they were injected with Covid-19 causing virus were rats, mice, rabbits, and …

Impact of Covid-vulnerable animals on humans causes worry
3 years, 10 months ago

Impact of Covid-vulnerable animals on humans causes worry

Deccan Chronicle  

HYDERABAD: The sheer variety of animals — some that jostle for space with people, and the others that live in Indian forests — that are susceptible to catching Covid-19, is giving some scientists a serious cause for worry, especially in a country like India where officials privately admit to inadequate testing of people for the disease and underreporting of Covid-19 …

World Health Organization team in China says COVID-19 probably came from animals, but no evidence it originated in bats
3 years, 11 months ago

World Health Organization team in China says COVID-19 probably came from animals, but no evidence it originated in bats

ABC  

The World Health Organization team in the Chinese city of Wuhan says viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 can be found in many animals, but they have been unable to find direct evidence of animal-human transmission. Key points: Bats and pangolins could possibly be the reservoir due to high similarities of genetic sequence But there was no evidence to suggest their coronavirus …

Scientists work out ways to prevent next pandemic
4 years ago

Scientists work out ways to prevent next pandemic

Live Mint  

As 2021 begins with covid-19 continuing its global spread, scientists have spotlighted three approaches to reduce the risk of potential diseases – screening animals, reducing land-use change and improving health infrastructure. Following several multidisciplinary studies in 2020, scientists now firmly believe a “perfect storm” for an outbreak with pandemic potential is created by the combined forces of land-use change, high …

Wildlife, land-use change and health infra: Scientists identify ways of preventing next pandemic
4 years ago

Wildlife, land-use change and health infra: Scientists identify ways of preventing next pandemic

Hindustan Times  

How to prevent the next pandemic? As 2021 begins with Covid-19 continuing its global spread, scientists have spotlighted three approaches to at least reduce the risk of pandemic potential diseases – screening animals, reducing land-use change and improving health infrastructure. Manuel Ruiz, wildlife veterinarian at Montana State University in the US, added that one of the best ways to prevent …

Wildlife Diseases Poised to Spread Northwards as Global Warming Increases, Finds Study
4 years, 1 month ago

Wildlife Diseases Poised to Spread Northwards as Global Warming Increases, Finds Study

News 18  

As the world’s climate warms, parasite-carried wildlife diseases will move north, with animals in cold far-north and high-altitude regions expected to suffer the most dramatic increases, warns a study to be published on Friday in the journal Science. “We do know that 75% of emerging infectious diseases have a wildlife origin,” said Rohr, who runs an ecology and public health …

Humans spreading Covid to animals? 10,000 minks dead at US farm, experts say virus spread from humans
4 years, 3 months ago

Humans spreading Covid to animals? 10,000 minks dead at US farm, experts say virus spread from humans

India Today  

Nearly 10,000 minks have died at fur farms in the US following a series of Covid-19 outbreaks, with experts now indicating that the virus was transmitted from humans to these animals. "The virus first appeared in minks in August, shortly after farmworkers fell ill in July, according to Dr Dean Taylor, State Veterinarian of Utah," CNN reported. US agency confirms …

Coronavirus: Millions of wild animals imported to UK from hot spots of emerging disease, risking new pandemics, study warns
4 years, 3 months ago

Coronavirus: Millions of wild animals imported to UK from hot spots of emerging disease, risking new pandemics, study warns

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Millions of live wild animals are being legally imported into …

Coronavirus has cut conservation back to its most basic function – and now even that is at risk
4 years, 4 months ago

Coronavirus has cut conservation back to its most basic function – and now even that is at risk

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It is central to the work …

Diseases like COVID-19 that jump from animals to people driven by habitat loss: UN report
4 years, 6 months ago

Diseases like COVID-19 that jump from animals to people driven by habitat loss: UN report

Firstpost  

Unsustainable agriculture practices, expansion of infrastructure and resource mining at the expense of wild spaces has severely limited our ability to prevent these diseases. Apart from the coronavirus-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus, other pathogens that were responsible for these ‘zoonotic diseases’ in the past include infamous epidemic agents like Ebola, Middle East respiratory syndrome, HIV/AIDS and West Nile virus. “The science is …

If leaders want to protect humans from coronavirus, then we need to act quick on animal rights too
4 years, 7 months ago

If leaders want to protect humans from coronavirus, then we need to act quick on animal rights too

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The origins of the pandemic are …

Animal Planet's new documentary about effects of COVID-19 on animals
4 years, 8 months ago

Animal Planet's new documentary about effects of COVID-19 on animals

India TV News  

Animal Planet has announced a new documentary "The Zoo: COVID-19 And Animals", which seeks to explore the effects of coronavirus on animals. The special will see Dave Salmoni, Animal Planet's big cat expert, talking to a number of experts, from the World Health Organization to wildlife biologists, in order to find out how COVID-19 is affecting animals and what pet …

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