Which animals get Covid-19? A new database tracks cases in species around the world

Science Dogs, cats, and hamsters — oh my! by Jennifer Walter July 29, 2022 Shutterstock

Shutterstock Humans aren’t the only ones that get Covid. Through the pandemic, numerous animals across the globe also contracted SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

When the virus runs wild in multiple species, it gets more opportunities to mutate. Mutations give rise to new variants — ones that could potentially spill back over to humans — and can make it harder to treat and track the virus. Shutterstock

For scientists and public health officials, it’s important to keep an eye on transmission from animals to humans and vice versa, which can be a challenging task.

SARS-ANI VIS: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna/Complexity Science Hub/Wildlife Conservation Society Last week, a group of researchers based in Austria and the U.S. published an interactive database of all reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 in animals.

It’s comprised of information collected by the International Society for Infectious Diseases and the World Organization for Animal Health, which have been collecting data on animal infections and outbreaks since 2020.

Shutterstock The research team plans to update the database every week for at least a year, according to a report in Scientific Data where it was first announced.

Shutterstock Here are 5 key takeaways from the data so far:

5. In the US, most infections were reported in deer. 406 confirmed infections and 33 total outbreaks (where one or more cases happen in a designated group) happened in white-tailed deer across the country. Shutterstock

And zoo animals like tigers, lions, and gorillas each had several dozen confirmed cases.

Shutterstock There were over 200 infections in domesticated cats and dogs in the US as well.

4. Animals can pick up multiple variants As the virus changed, its potential to infect species besides humans did not. The Alpha variant was detected in dogs and cats, and Delta in hamsters and tigers. Uma Shankar sharma/Moment/Getty Images

Shutterstock However, the database doesn’t account for reinfections, so it’s unclear yet if (and how often) animals can pick up the virus as it mutates.

3. Symptoms varied in animals, just like in humans While most animals showed no symptoms during Covid, there were still many that experienced respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiac, and neurological effects. Shutterstock

And more tragically, sudden death due to respiratory or other complications did take place. Sudden deaths happened 7 times among mink.

Christian Sanchez / 500px/500px/Getty Images Some animals saw behavioral changes, such as at least one cat that experienced mild depression and a tiger that began acting abnormally.

2. Most animals survived Covid The average case fatality rate (all reported Covid deaths in a species divided by total cases in the species) for Covid among all animals with recorded infections was 2.7 percent globally. Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The researchers stress that the case fatality rate depends heavily on testing, and doesn’t reflect the overall mortality rate of Covid in an animal population.

Javier Zayas Photography/Moment/Getty Images However, the outcome of every Covid case wasn’t reported.

1. The total number of cases is likely an undercount The researchers note that the number of reported cases depends heavily on Covid surveillance infrastructure and the reporting strategies of each country. Shutterstock

For example, individual infections in mink were not included in the database’s overall case count.

Ole Jensen/Getty Images News/Getty Images Outbreaks on mink farms often did not include specific numbers on how many animals were infected. So the researchers could not be sure how many mink actually got Covid.

It’s easy for cases to fall through the cracks when they’re not reported or specific details are lacking. However, the data we do have can help piece together a clearer picture of how widespread Covid is in the animal kingdom. Shutterstock

SARS-ANI VIS: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna/Complexity Science Hub/Wildlife Conservation Society Explore the full database here.