Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases present great risks to public health. The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has become an urgent public health issue of global concern. It is speculated that the virus first emerged through a zoonotic spillover. Basic research studies have suggested that bats are likely the ancestral reservoir host. Nonetheless, the evolutionary history and host susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear as a multitude of animals has been proposed as potential intermediate or dead-end hosts. SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated from domestic animals, both companion and livestock, as well as in captive wildlife that were in close contact with human COVID-19 cases. Currently, domestic mink is the only known animal that is susceptible to a natural infection, develop severe illness, and can also transmit SARS-CoV-2 to other minks and humans. To improve foundational knowledge of SARS-CoV-2, we are conducting a synthesis review of its host diversity and transmission pathways. To mitigate this COVID-19 pandemic, we strongly advocate for a systems-oriented scientific approach that comprehensively evaluates the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at the human and animal interface.
Highlights
IntroductionCoronaviruses (CoVs) (order: Nidovirales, family: Coronaviridae, subfamily: Coronavirinae) are enveloped, positive-stranded RNA viruses [1,2,3,4]
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped, positive-stranded RNA viruses [1,2,3,4]
Vulnerable susceptible animal groups include: (1) animals in contact with humans infected with SARS-CoV-2, (2) threatened or endangered species housed in rehabilitation or zoological centers, (3) temporary social or care settings where there is frequent contact between animals and humans, and (4) livestock housed in high densities on farms
Summary
Coronaviruses (CoVs) (order: Nidovirales, family: Coronaviridae, subfamily: Coronavirinae) are enveloped, positive-stranded RNA viruses [1,2,3,4]. In 2003, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) was reported as the first CoV of global health importance, which originated from several horseshoe bat species before transmission into human populations [13]. Based on the definition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment” [48] These findings might support future surveillance programs to unravel the complex evolutionary histories of SARS-CoV-2 and those of SARS-CoV-like CoV viruses of other animal host species
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