Pig Watch thread-Research finds pigs are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2

[Treyfish]

....Spread of virus through pig farming sectors


The coronavirus has created direct contact complications to the pork farm supply chain between the United States, Hong Kong, and the world. This has to do with the possibility that human-to-human transmission of the virus actually mutates from pigs as the intermediate vector of coronavirus strains.

A comparison of data maps between the COVID-19 outbreaks of 2020 and the African Swine Fever outbreaks of August 2018-March 2020 show a direct overlap in the areas of outbreak. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, abbreviated FAO, released a map on March 5, 2020 that outlined the outbreak of African Swine Fever in mainland China from August 2018 unto the posted date of March 5, 2020.

Focus areas light up the map in a tight, almost complete circle around the Hubei province, which is where the coronavirus outbreak was first documented in December 2019. Hubei was directly listed as a province that was impacted significantly by the spread of African Swine Fever.

The Seattle Times shared on January 21, 2020 that the first documented U.S. case of COVID-19 was a male patient who was in China at the time of his infection. He was a resident of Snohomish County, Washington which is itself a known pig farming district.

While it was not stated what the man’s business in China was, it is known that he did not attend a live wet market there. Yet, this does not rule out the possibility that the male patient was connected to the thriving agricultural correspondence between the United States and China with special regards to pork.
Close exposure to live animals with veterinary conditions that contribute to COVID-19 virality, even those in well-maintained farms, could contribute to the spread of cases in Washington.

Axios released a timeline of the COVID-19 virus spread in Italy. In Italy, the first documented virus case was in Lombardy. Lombardy is documented on agriculture records, dating back as far as 2014, to be a region in Italy known for specialty pork farms. This contributes to the inference that COVID-19 and contact with swine, especially immunocompromised swine, may contribute to the spread of coronavirus.

The Independent UK likewise created a timeline regarding the spread of coronavirus. Britain documented that a family that was staying at a hotel in York became the first in Britain to fall ill of coronavirus. One of the patients was studying at the University of York. York is home to the large pig farming operations such as the Dewhirst Farming Group, and YorkWold Pig Pro, a massive swine farm operation in Driffield, East Yorkshire. Driffield, East Yorkshire is a 38 minute drive from the University of York, citing Google satellite estimates. ...:tiphat:https://www.telegraphlocal.com/2020/...chain-exposed/

 

[bertrand789]

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...04.26.062406v1

 

[Treyfish]

....From the obtained data available today, it would appear pigs can carry SARS‐CoV and develop antibodies. Furthermore, evidence exists that pigs can amplify MERS‐CoV. So far there is no evidence that pigs can become infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 or are capable to amplify the virus. However, as the SARS‐CoV‐2 outbreak has just emerged and is ongoing any testing currently focuses on identifying infected people to prevent further human‐to‐human transmissions. Notably, it was reported that SARS‐CoV‐2 could use angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) from four animal species including porcine ACE2 as the receptor to enter the cell in vitro,29 possibly suggesting that pigs may be susceptible to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.

Theoretically, if pigs can be infected with SARC‐CoV‐2 and also amplify it, the virus would likely be present in the respiratory tract of pigs so lungs or nasal swabs would need to be tested. In human CoV studies, it has been shown that RNA can be detected by PCR in serum or plasma obtained from patients with SARS‐CoV, MERS‐CoV, and also SARS‐CoV‐2 infections.30

In addition, SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA was also detected in a patient's stool sample.31 It is presently unknown if these events resemble just leakage of viral particles or fragments or if the virus can replicate outside the respiratory tract.30 The risk associated with human blood for transmission to other people is unknown, but blood donations are not practiced in high‐risk areas where infections are ongoing and it is recommended to measure the body temperature of blood donors prior to blood donation.

Interspecies transmission from humans to other species including pigs likely requires a close contact with infected people. A dog from Tai Hang, Islands District, Hong Kong, living in the same household as a confirmed COVID‐19 patient was found SARS‐CoV‐2 RT‐PCR positive on nasal swab and oral samples without showing any clinical signs beginning of February 2020 (Source: https://www.oie.int/wahis_2/public/wahid.php/Reviewreport/Review?page_refer=MapFullEventReport&reportid=3345 5).

While most pets often have close very contact to their owner, the situation with pigs is different. In China, the origin of SARS‐CoV‐2, where most infections in humans have been reported as of now, pig caretakers must be free of signs for COVID‐19 before being allowed to enter pig farms, as one part of the national large‐scale quarantine policy (Source: https://necsi.edu/the‐effect‐of‐travel‐restrictions‐on‐the‐domestic‐ spread‐of‐the‐wuhan‐coronavirus‐2019‐ncov). Furthermore, viral spillovers from one species into another species are further promoted by high mutation rates allowing the virus to overcome host‐specific defenses. From sequences currently available on SARS‐CoV‐2, the mutation rate does not appear to be high (Source: https://nextstrain.org/groups/blab/sars‐like‐cov).

Based on today's knowledge, the risk of acquiring a SARS‐CoV‐2 infection while undergoing a transplantation procedure using porcine‐derived materials should be considered low but likely needs to be properly assessed. Until this is the case, donor pigs can simply be tested by PCR for the presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 viral RNA or once available by serology for antibodies to further rule out any infection. This practice is currently already in place for human blood donors in Wuhan and Hubei Province in China.30

In summary, SARS‐CoV‐2 is emerging and spreading at a high rate in the human population. Due to the large number of infected people often with high virus loads, SARS‐CoV‐2 could potentially spill over in other species including pigs and this should be monitored closely. Evidence from SARS‐CoV would suggest that it is likely to detect SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in pigs but perhaps unlikely that the virus would be amplified in pigs....:tiphat:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/xen.12591

 

[Treyfish]

,,,Using the isolated SARS-CoV-2 virus, the authors subsequently identified a critical host susceptibility factor [
1
]. When cultured cells overexpressed the transmembrane protein angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) protein from humans, bats, pigs, or civet cats, they became hypersensitized to infection, showing that ACE2 is a SARS-CoV-2 receptor [
1
]. These findings harken back to the earlier SARS-CoV, which also utilizes both human and animal ACE2 proteins as receptors and exhibits a zoonotic distribution that matches its binding to the ACE2 receptor orthologs [
5
]. They also reflect the behavior of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV, which, although relying on a distinct dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) protein receptor, similarly disseminates among animal species in correlation with its binding to DPP4 orthologs....

Article Info

Publication History

Published online: March 12, 2020Identification


DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.it.2020.02.007
Copyright

? 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.ScienceDirect

Access this article on ScienceDirect
:tiphat:https://www.cell.com/trends/immunolo...906(20)30038-7

 

[Treyfish]

3 DAYS AGO
Research into virus in cats from infected care workers


Utrecht University will conduct research into the susceptibility of cats to the coronavirus. Infected care workers who have a cat are asked if a sample of the animals may be taken. Cats are not expected to contribute to the spread of the virus, but Minister Schouten has asked for the investigation to gain more certainty about it.
The virus has been found in some pets and large cats abroad. Also, a few cats and ferrets have been deliberately infected in China. Yesterday it was announced that mink had the virus at two breeding farms in North Brabant, most likely from infected caretakers.
Minister Schouten also has an investigation conducted into whether pigs can become infected with the corona virus.:tiphat:
https://nos.nl/liveblog/2331851-besm...g-te-gaan.html

 

[longshots]

Don't leave out dogs... I have seen some stories referring to this on this site... https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/he...f-bdee9b1bbc5c

 

[Treyfish]

Don't leave out dogs... I have seen some stories referring to this on this site... https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/he...f-bdee9b1bbc5c

:tiphat:https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/...-dog-in-the-us

 

[Treyfish]

Coronavirus Spreading From Humans to Wild Animals Would Be Like ‘Opening Pandora’s Box’

Even the coolest cats and kittens can get the coronavirus.

By Emma Fidel
Apr 30 2020, 3:07pm

When five tigers and three lions tested positive at the Bronx Zoo this month, they became the world’s first wild animals known to have contracted the coronavirus from humans.

Scientists hope they’re also the last.
....
Wildlife managers around the world have ramped up protections for fragile populations like India’s tigers and great apes. Scientists in the U.S. are particularly concerned about animals that are already vulnerable to diseases, like bats and endangered black-footed ferrets. Since scientists believe a Chinese bat species is the source of the coronavirus, they’re concerned North American bats could also become carriers.

There’s no evidence that animals have given the virus back to people since the pandemic started. But if humans do spread the coronavirus to wildlife, it will become much harder to eradicate.

“Once it's in wildlife, it's very hard to get rid of it,” said Dr. William Karesh, EcoHealth Alliance’s executive vice president for health and policy. “It's like opening Pandora's box.”
:tiphat:https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/m...g-pandoras-box

 

[Treyfish]

'The Next Coronavirus May Come From Pigs Not Pangolins' Says Infectious Disease Expert

'We may be one pangolin plate away from the next killer coronavirus, and one factory farm away from the next deadly flu'
LIAM GILLIVER
10 HOURS AGO
'We may be one factory farm away from the next deadly flu'


Infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Greger has warned that the 'next coronavirus may come from pigs, not pangolins'.

The plant-based medic, who warned of the dangers of a corona-like pandemic more than 10 years ago, made the comment in a recent video with Future Coalition - a national network of youth activists fighting for social justice.


"In 2016 another new coronavirus arose in china (SADS), a bat to pig virus that devastated industrial pig farms in the same region in China where SARS had broken out," Greger said.

"So while pangolin populations are in decline, we produce more than a billion pigs a year, nearly half within China alone, raising the concern that the next pandemic may arise from domesticated rather than wild animals."
..
:tiphat:https://www.plantbasednews.org/lifes...-not-pangolins

 

[Treyfish]

President orders probe on COVID-19 testing kits after goat, pawpaw tested positive :tiphat:bad tests?
May 3, 2020
By

Annie Nwosu
Tanzanian president, John Magufuli, has ordered a probe on the country’s coronavirus testing kits after samples taken from a goat and pawpaw tested positive.

Speaking at an event in Chato in the northwest of Tanzania on Sunday, the President said that the COVID-19 testing kits, which had been imported from abroad had “technical errors”.

Magufuli said that he had given directives to Tanzanian security forces to check the quality of the kits, who randomly collected non-human samples, including from pawpaw, a goat, and a sheep, but had assigned them human names and ages.

He further stated that these samples were then submitted to Tanzania’s laboratory to test for the coronavirus, with the lab technicians left deliberately unaware of their origins.
...
”This clearly states that it was likely that some people were being tested positive when in fact they were not infected by the Coronavirus.
...:tiphat:https://dailypost.ng/2020/05/03/pres...sted-positive/

 

[bertrand789]

Dans l'industrie porcine, m?me russe*, et m?me pour un agent qui tue peu , quand on doit faire le m?nage , il est fait :

Flamb?e atypique

Fait remarquable, l' ?pid?mie de PPA enregistr?e dans les fermes de la Baltic Meat Company No 3 ?tait atypique. Ce fut un cas rare o? la PPA n'a pas caus? de mortalit? massive chez les porcs. La pr?sence du virus a ?t? d?tect?e lors d'une enqu?te v?t?rinaire de routine, a indiqu? la soci?t?.
...
Le virus ASF continuera dans la nature

Le virus ASF a subi des mutations et a appris ? se cacher, a d?clar? Vladimir Smirnov, chef par int?rim du chien de garde v?t?rinaire russe Rosselhoznadzor dans la r?gion de Kaliningrad, qui est une exclave entre la Pologne et la Lituanie. L'industrie porcine devra faire face ? ce probl?me, car la PPA ne va pas dispara?tre. Il continuera d'exister dans la nature, a expliqu? Smirnov.

https://www.pigprogress.net/Health/A...track-578580E/

La neutralit? c'est bien ...

 

[Treyfish]

Atypical outbreak

Remarkably, the ASF epidemic on the farms of the Baltic Meat Company No. 3 was atypical. It was a rare case where ASF did not cause massive mortality in pigs. The presence of the virus was detected during a routine veterinary investigation, the company said.
...
ASF virus will continue in the wild

The ASF virus has mutated and learned to hide, said Vladimir Smirnov, acting head of the Russian veterinary watchdog Rosselhoznadzor in the Kaliningrad region, which is an exclave between Poland and Lithuania. The pork industry will have to face this problem because the PPA is not going to go away. It will continue to exist in nature, said Smirnov.:tiphat:https://www.pigprogress.net/Health/A...track-578580E/

 

[Treyfish]

“Critical need” to understand impact of COVID-19 in livestock, says paper

Posted: 11 May 2020 | Sam Mehmet
There is a “critical need” to better understand how COVID-19 infects certain animal species, the possibility of transmission, and how this could impact food security and the economy, according to authors of a new scientific paper.

A new paper has identified the “critical need” for better understanding on the ability of the COVID-19 virus to infect certain animal species and livestock, the transmissibility of infection between humans and those animals, and the impact infection could have on food security and the economy.

The article, which focuses on companion animals, livestock and poultry, working animals such as military service dogs, and zoo species, identified three urgent issues to consider:

the potential for domesticated animals to transmit infection to humans and to contribute to community spread of disease;
the impact on food security, economy, and trade if livestock and poultry are affected by coronavirus;
and the effect on national security if the virus infects military service dogs and impairs their sense of smell, often used for tracking and to detect explosives and narcotics.

Tracey McNamara, DVM, DACVP, NAPf, Western University of Health Sciences (Pomona, CA), Juergen Richt, DVM PhD, Kansas State University (Manhattan, Kansas) and Larry Glickman, VMD, DrPH, Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) co-authored the article entitled “A Critical Needs Assessment for Research in Companion Animals and Livestock Following the Pandemic of COVID-19 in Humans.”...:tiphat:https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/news...ck-says-paper/

 

[Treyfish]

Scientists Call for Urgent Need to Study Coronavirus Impact on Pets, Livestock

By IANS

4 hours ago

TWC India

(Kamalendu Bhadra/BM, Delhi, BCCL)
Scientists have called for the urgent need for research to understand the potential impact of COVID-19 on certain animal species, the transmissibility of infection between humans and those animals, and the impact infection could have on food security and the economy.

In a study from Western University of Health Sciences in the US, published in the journal Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Disease, the scientists focused on companion animals, livestock and poultry, working animals such as military service dogs, and zoo species.

"We are now faced with many urgent questions that can only be answered through investigative studies and surveillance," the authors wrote.
.....
"The potential for zoonotic SARS-CoV-2 to infect companion animals has been a topic of much discussion," said Stephen Higgs, Editor-in-Chief of Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases and Director, Biosecurity Research Institute, Kansas State University in the US.

"With over four million cases of COVID-19 and over a quarter of a million deaths worldwide so far since January, it is vital that we understand the risks posed by domestic animals as a possible source for human infection," Higgs added.:tiphat:https://weather.com/en-IN/india/coro...us-impact-pets

 

[Treyfish]

Please see related study here:

Cell. Structural Basis for Potent Neutralization of Betacoronaviruses by Single-Domain Camelid Antibodies


Llama's could give humans 'immediate immunity' to the coronavirus
Researchers have found a secret inside of llamas that may be able to kill the coronavirus COVID-19
Jak Connor | May 11, 2020 at 06:31 am CDT

...According to researchers from the University of Texas, the National Institutes of Health, and Ghent University in Belgium, llama's could be the weapon humans need to battle the coronavirus. How? Well, the researchers say that llama antibodies have the capability of neutralizing the spike protein in COVID-19, ....

Jason McLellan, associate professor of molecular biosciences at UT-Austin, said, "While we were working on this project, the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus emerged, and the spike proteins are pretty similar between SARS-CoV-2 and the original SARS. We thought that maybe this nanobody if we isolated it, would also bind to this one." McLellan also believes that these llama antibodies could give humans temporary immunity, here's what he said, "Immediately after injection, they'll basically have immunity to that virus. It will wane over time, after a certain number of months, perhaps, but they become immediately immune."...

:tiphat:Read more: https://www.tweaktown.com/news/72419...rus/index.html

 

[Treyfish]

The Search for a Covid-19 Research Animal Model

MALLORY PICKETT

SCIENCE
05.11.2020 07:00 AM
In a lab test, two monkeys died from the novel coronavirus. A species that reacts to the virus as humans do may help us find new treatments, but it's a weighty task.

EARLY IN THE morning, the day after Mardi Gras in New Orleans—an explosion of humanity unimaginable today, though it was only two months ago—a FedEx truck pulled up to a loading dock at Tulane University. Two people stood waiting. The driver pulled a cardboard box out from among the orders of shoes and toilet paper, and delivered it to the woman leading the pair. It contained a frozen vial filled with millions of particles of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that was at the same time silently making its way through the city all around them.
...This sample was isolated and propagated from a patient in Seattle, and was bound for the Tulane National Primate Research Center. There, it would be used to infect a group of four Rhesus macaques and four African green monkeys, to see if they could replicate the human disease—one of the first such experiments in the US. The highest-profile vaccine and treatment trials done on animals (including tests of the antiviral drug remdesivir) have been conducted only in Rhesus macaques, one of the most plentiful species of laboratory monkeys. But macaques have so far shown mostly mild symptoms after coronavirus infection. This is still useful—scientists can measure viral replication and see signs of infection. But animals with more severe symptoms make it easier to measure the effect of interventions, like vaccines or antiviral drugs.

Within weeks of the arrival of the virus at the Tulane lab, two of the lab’s African green monkeys had contracted severe lung disease. Skip Bohm, the chief veterinarian at the research center, says these are the first documented cases they’ve seen of severe illness from the new coronavirus in nonhuman primates. “It's an initial study, a few animals. But if it can be reproduced, it would be a very important model for looking at very severe disease in people,” Bohm says. “Before we can study any treatments or vaccines or even just the disease itself, we have to establish that we have an animal model that exhibits the same type of diseases as it occurs in humans.”....

.....The Tulane National Primate Research Center encompasses 500 acres of land, about 40 miles north of Tulane University. Tulane houses over 5,000 monkeys and has a biosafety level three laboratory (the minimum required to study SARS-CoV-2). Their first coronavirus experiment tested two species of monkey, African greens and Rhesus macaques, and two routes of exposure: aerosol exposure (breathing the virus in from the air) and direct contact (the virus was swabbed in the animals’ eyes, noses, and tracheas). The researchers’ goal was to determine how the disease differed between the species. The results would inform their future coronavirus experiments and any trials of vaccines or treatments.

Within days after initial exposure, all the monkeys were shedding the virus from everywhere the scientists sampled: eyes, nose, mouth, rectum, and vagina. But none of the animals had noticeable symptoms. Then, suddenly, the day after an examination in which she had appeared normal, one of the African green monkeys from the direct contact group showed signs of very severe pneumonia. CT scans showed her right lung was full of fluid, and she was so severely ill she met the study's criteria for early euthanasia. Two weeks later, a second African green female, this time from the aerosol group, developed the exact same symptoms in the same abrupt manner. She was also euthanized early, and scans again revealed severe edema in her right lung.
......:tiphat:https://www.wired.com/story/the-sear...-animal-model/

 

[Treyfish]

.......
Pangolins possible Intermediate Host


As per the research paper, scientists from South China Agricultural University have isolated a coronavirus in Malayan pangolins that showed 100%, 98.6%, 97.8%, and 90.7% amino acid identity with SARS-CoV-2 in the E, M, N and S genes, respectively.

The coronavirus, dubbed Pangolin-CoV, has been found to be 91.02% identical to SARS-CoV-2 at the whole-genome level, making it the closest relative of SARS-CoV-2 behind RaTG13. Pangolin-CoV was found to be particularly identical to Sars-CoV-2 in its receptor-binding domain (RBD) that consists of an amino acid fragment, which is responsible for recognising and binding the cell surface receptor.​

The researchers studied 25 Malayan pangolins, of which Pangolin-CoV was detected in 17 specimens. The infected pangolins further showed clinical signs and histological changes while the circulating antibodies against Pangolin-CoV reacted with a protein strand of SARS-CoV-2.

The scientist also observed that pangolins are the most-trafficked mammal in the world and the novel coronavirus highlights a future threat to public health if wildlife trade is not controlled....:tiphat:https://www.republicworld.com/techno...ses-study.html

 

[Treyfish]

Zoonotic tendency: Coronavirus threat worries Karachi Zoo


By Shakir Sultan
Published: May 11, 2020

KARACHI:

After infecting millions of people worldwide, the deadly contagion has now turned towards animals; sending a wave of concern among researchers about the novel coronavirus’s newfound potential. Until a few months ago, it was believed with a sense of reassurance that the virus, although highly contagious, cannot be transmitted from humans to animals and vice versa. However, the recent diagnosis of Covid-19 in eight big cats at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, has landed experts in a vexing debate about how the contagion can now potentially transmit to domesticated cats from infected people and vice versa.

Concerns at Karachi Zoo
In view of the escalating situation, a high alert has also been issued for the Karachi Zoo, in that all zoo staff will now be required to undergo a thorough medical examination before being granted entry into the zoo premises. In addition to that, the alert also prohibits entry of all unrelated persons including police and rangers while making it compulsory upon the authorised staff to use masks, sanitizers and gloves while entering the park.

A total 150 staff and workers including doctors and dispensers are deployed to take care of 840 animals in Karachi Zoo, counting varieties of puma, white lion, elephant, snake, turtle, crocodile, zebra and various primates. The workers are responsible for providing animals with food, care, vaccinations and treatment in case of illness.

Every day, thousands of people from all over the province, visit the Karachi Zoo for sightseeing and entertainment. Due to the lockdown, however, the zoo hasn’t been seeing any visitor footfall for the past month-and-a-half, leaving the animal menagerie to relax and enjoy a few moments of privacy.

Precautionary measures

According to Karachi Zoo Director Kanwar Ayub, the first Malayan tiger at the New York Zoo to contract the disease, was said to be infected with Covid-19 after eating meat handled by the zoo staff.

“Hence, I have instructed all our animal feeders to thoroughly wash all food items with water before feeding them to the animals. The staff has also been directed to maintain distance from the animals and to wear facemasks and special gloves whenever any handling or close contact is required. In addition to that, as a precautionary measure, the zoo has been declared a no-go area and all forms of activities at the zoo have been halted. Even police and rangers have been banned from entering the facility.”

Following the news from Bronx Zoo on April 4, Karachi Mayor W....:tiphat:https://tribune.com.pk/story/2218741...s-karachi-zoo/

 

[sharon sanders]

Wired is providing free access to coronavirus articles!

 

[Treyfish]

:tiphat:Almost everything but a pig or chicken??? Wouldn't want to cause a panic, we already know pigs are susceptible to other coronavirus':smartass:


Which animals might coronavirus attack most easily? Study rates 48 species, and it’s good news for pigs
All primates except baboons share humans’ vulnerability to contracting it, modelling suggests

• Results could help identify likely reservoir hosts for future outbreaks

Matt Ho
Published: 9:17pm, 11 May, 2020

Not all animals are equal when it comes to the
coronavirus
, according to new research that found rats were less vulnerable to it than pet hamsters and turkeys were more at risk than ducks.
Scientists in
India
analysed the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) – the receptor on cells through which the coronavirus enters – of 48 animals, including mammals, reptiles and birds, and used computer modelling to predict the infectivity of each.

All primates including humans, but with the exception of baboons, had about 100 per cent probability of viral entry, “as evident from the devastating nature of the disease in humans”, according to the researchers, from the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, the ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.....

...All cloven-hoofed animals were predicted to have about 99 per cent probability of viral entry, except pigs, which were not susceptible, according to the study.

Camels were vulnerable, while rats and mice were found to be much less so than hamsters. Rabbits, meanwhile, had a medium probability of viral entry.

In birds, ducks and white-tailed eagles showed the lowest probability, followed by chickens, while golden eagles and turkeys were high on the probability spectrum.....:tiphat:https://www.scmp.com/news/china/soci...ly-study-rates