Humans spread covid to deer
Poses a public health threat
New research suggests that in North America, humans have been responsible for dozens of covid outbreaks in white-tailed deer, whose movements have spread the virus further. Between November 2021 and March 2022, researchers took nasal swabs from 1,522 deer and found active infections in 10 per cent of them. Gene analysis indicates that 30 infections in deer came from humans, suggesting that the virus is able to move easily between people and deer. Antibodies indicating a previous infection were seen in 40 per cent of deer.
Alarmingly, it was found that the virus is evolving three times faster in deer than it does in humans, posing a potential public health threat that may have serious consequences if the virus mutates and jumps back to humans.
McBride DS, Garushyants SK, Franks J et al. 2023. Accelerated evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in free-ranging white-tailed deer. Nature Communications. 14 (1) 5,105.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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