Two pumas and three lions living in captivity at a zoo in South Africa have contracted COVID-19, with the virus apparently transmitted to the animals by asymptomatic staff members, according to an investigation published today.
Human-to-animal transmission of the virus poses a risk to big cats living in captivity, warns the research conducted by the University of Pretoria. Particularly because PCR tests showed the cats were positive up to seven weeks after infection, an indication that the animals may have contracted a more severe form of the disease, the report highlights.
The research was launched after three African lions were diagnosed positive for Covid-19 last year. They exhibited symptoms similar to those of humans: difficulty breathing, runny nose, coughing. One lioness developed pneumonia.
Five zoo workers who came into contact with the animals were diagnosed positive, a clue leading to the thought that the origin of the infection was human. Sequencing determined that it was the Delta variant, which was then predominant in South Africa.
A year earlier, two cougars, who had shown symptoms of anorexia and suffered from diarrhoea and catarrh, had also been diagnosed positive for COVID-19. They recovered within three weeks. In their case, neither the source of infection nor the variant was determined.
Source: CNA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
