No Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Wild Mink (Mustela lutreola and Neogale vison) from Northern Spain during the First Two Years of Pandemic

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 15; p. 1971
• Main Authors: Villanueva-Saz, Sergio, Giner, Jacobo, Palomar, Ana María, Gómez, María Asunción, Põdra, Madis, Aranda, María del Carmen, Jiménez, María de los Ángeles, Lizarraga, Patricia, Hernández, Raquel, Portillo, Aránzazu, Oteo, José Antonio, Ruíz-Arrondo, Ignacio, Pérez, María Dolores, Tobajas, Ana Pilar, Verde, Maite, Lacasta, Delia, Marteles, Diana, Hurtado-Guerrero, Ramón, Santiago, Llipsy, Ruíz, Héctor, Fernández, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 03.08.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Animal species; Animals; Assaying; Binding; Captivity; coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease transmission; Domestic animals; ELISA; Endangered & extinct species; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Epidemiology; Evaluation; Experimental infection; Human populations; mink; Mustela lutreola; Neovison vison; Otters; Rectum; RT-qPCR; SARS-CoV-2; Serology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Spike protein; Surveillance; Viruses; Wild animals; Wildlife; Wildlife conservation; Denmark; Netherlands; Belgium; United States > US; Germany; Spain
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani12151971

The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on wildlife is largely unevaluated, and extended surveillance of animal species is needed to reach a consensus on the role of animals in the emergence and maintenance of SARS-CoV-2. This infection has been detected in farmed and domestic animals and wild animals, mainly in captivity. The interactions or shared resources with wildlife could represent a potential transmission pathway for the SARS-CoV-2 spill over to other wild species and could lead to health consequences or the establishment of new reservoirs in susceptible hosts. This study evaluated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in European mink (Mustela lutreola) and American mink (Neogale vison) in Spain by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Spike antigen in serum samples and/or by RT-qPCR assays in oropharyngeal and rectal swabs. From January 2020 to February 2022, a total of 162 animals (127 European mink and 35 American mink) with no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection were included in the study. Antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 were not found in the serum samples analysed (n = 126), nor was the virus amplified by RT-qPCR (n = 160 swabs). Our results suggest that the potential role of wild mink and the European mink bred in captivity and released to the wild as dispersers of SARS-CoV-2 is so far low. However, wildlife surveillance for early detection of human and animal risks should be continued. In this sense, epidemiological monitoring measures, including serology and molecular analysis, are necessary.