Reservoirs
This page collects observations, interpretations, and consequences for action about the reservoirs of SARS-CoV2 in general. Please observe the structure of the page, when you add your content. Please use references where possible. Remember to find the relevant page. For example, if your observation is about transmission routes, please use that page, instead of posting your content here.
Contents
What is already known
- SARS-CoV-2 clusters genetically in lineage B of Sarbecovirus with 2 bat-derived SARS-CoV strains.[1], [2]
- Humans get infected and spread the virus.[1]
- Exposure to animals is associated with the first cases of COVID19 disease in humans.
- Humans developed clinical symptoms in December 2019 attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection after visiting a live animal market in Wuhan, China, which suggested animals as source of COVID19 disease[3].
- Later is was suggested that other animals also played a role in transmission, because 13 patients of the first patient cluster involving 41 patients did not visit the live animal market, which would imply that other animals than only those present on the live animal market play a role in the transmission[4] .
- However, no clear evidence is available to date on the animal reservoir of SARS-CoV-2.
- Several types of coronaviruses can infect animals and can be transmitted to other animals and people. There is no evidence that companion animals (e.g. dogs or cats) pose a risk of infection to humans. As a general precaution, it is always wise to observe basic principles of hygiene when in contact with animals. [5]
- On the role of animals in transmission: SARS-CoV-2 turns out to be very effective in being transmitted between humans, and as far as is known to date, human to human interactions contribute much more to the risk of getting infected than human to animal contact.
Questions about Pets
Observations
- People ask "Can my Dog or Cat be infected?" and "Can my pet infect me?"
Analysis and interpretation
Consequences for action
Questions about live animal markets
Observations
- Fish, crustaceans, shellfish, amphibians?
- Seafood market was suspected, but no animal sources found.
Analysis and interpretation
Consequences for action
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ECDC Rapid Risk Assessment SARS-CoV-2, 14 February 2020. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/SARS-CoV-2-risk-assessment-14-february-2020.pdf.pdf
- ↑ Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, et al. A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019. New England Journal of Medicine. 2020
- ↑ https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2930183-5
- ↑ https://sciencespeaksblog.org/2020/01/25/wuhan-coronavirus-2019-ncov-qa-6-an-evidence-based-hypothesis/
- ↑ ECDC Questions and Answers on Coronavirus 2020. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/novel-coronavirus-china/questions-answers
