Multiple Instances of COVID Spreading from Deer to Humans, Study Finds

A recent study published in the scientific journal Nature has revealed that the coronavirus has spread from deer to humans on multiple occasions. The study analyzed samples taken from deer and found three potential cases of mutated variants of the virus spreading from deer to humans. This transmission is believed to have originally occurred from humans to deer, with the virus then mutating and spreading back to humans.

The research was conducted by a team of experts, many of whom work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Agriculture. They collected over 8,800 respiratory samples from free-ranging white-tailed deer across 26 states and Washington, D.C., between November 2021 and April 2022. Out of these samples, they identified 282 deer infected with COVID-19, including various lineages of the virus such as the alpha, gamma, and delta variants that were more prevalent earlier in the pandemic, as well as the more recent omicron variant.

An analysis of the samples revealed that there were at least 109 cases where humans transmitted the virus to deer, resulting in 39 instances of deer-to-deer transmission and three cases of deer-to-human transmission. Although the delta and omicron variants were the most commonly reported among humans during the sample collection period, the alpha and gamma variants were still being infrequently reported.

Ohio State University researchers had previously warned about the possibility of the virus spreading from deer to humans in January 2022. Their study found three different strains of the virus in over 35% of the wild white-tailed deer they studied in northeastern Ohio between January and March 2021. Two potential cases of deer-to-human transmission occurred in North Carolina, and one in Massachusetts.

The investigators were able to trace back the infections to three individuals, but none of them reported being near deer or visiting a zoo with infected lions in the month prior to contracting COVID-19. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that the viruses circulating in the white-tailed deer population are mainly a result of spillover events from humans. They emphasize the importance of continued surveillance of the deer population to monitor the evolution and distribution of the virus variants among deer. Further research is needed to determine if deer may serve as a reservoir for the virus and understand their role in the virus ecology.

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