COVID-19 Is Widespread In ‘Common Backyard Wildlife’ In US

A variety of backyard wildlife, such as rabbits, mice and bats, had SARS-CoV-2 infections, potentially making evolution of this virus more unpredictable.

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Wild rabbits were infected with COVID-19. (Public domain via PickPik)

A new study has determined that the COVID-19 virus is widespread among wildlife in the United States. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was recently detected in six common backyard species. Additionally, antibodies indicating prior exposure to the virus were found in five species. Depending upon the species, exposure rates ranged from 40–60%.

The greatest exposure to the COVID-19 virus was found in animals near hiking trails and high-traffic public areas, suggesting that the virus passed from humans to wildlife. Genetic testing of wild animals confirmed both the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and the existence of unique viral mutations with lineages that closely matched variants circulating in humans at the time, further supporting the idea of human-to-animal transmission.

“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,” said one of the study’s corresponding authors, cancer researcher Carla Finkielstein, a Professor and Director of the Molecular Diagnostics Lab and Interim Director…