Abstract
We report surveillance conducted in 217 pestiferous rodents in Hong Kong for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We did not detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA but identified 1 seropositive rodent, suggesting exposure to a virus antigenically similar to SARS-CoV-2. Potential exposure of urban rodents to SARS-CoV-2 cannot be ruled out.
Highlights
Dr Hennebique is a clinical microbiologist in the bacteriology laboratory of Grenoble University Hospital, Grenoble, France, which hosts the French National Reference Center for Francisella tularensis
We report surveillance conducted in 217 pestiferous rodents in Hong Kong for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
Using ELISA, we identified 1 of 213 rodent serum samples from an R. norvegicus rat collected in Yau Ma Tei seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 (Table; Appendix Figure 2) and 11 samples inconclusive; only 1 of 2 replicates from 8 samples gave a positive absorbance result, and 1 or both replicates from 3 samples gave a borderline absorbance (Table; Appendix Figure 2)
Summary
F. marina was described as responsible for systemic disease in fishes (Lutjanus guttatus, the cultured spotted rose snapper) in Central America, whereas 4 F. salimarina strains have been isolated from costal seawater in Guangdong Province, China, and 1 strain of F. salina has been grown from brackish seawater and seaweed off the coast of Galveston, Texas, USA [6,7,8]. To our knowledge, these Francisella spp. were not responsible for human infection so far. The Direction Générale de l’Armement of France funded this research (ANR-17-ASTR-0024)
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