학술논문
Accelerated evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in free-ranging white-tailed deer
Document Type
article
Author
Dillon S. McBride; Sofya K. Garushyants; John Franks; Andrew F. Magee; Steven H. Overend; Devra Huey; Amanda M. Williams; Seth A. Faith; Ahmed Kandeil; Sanja Trifkovic; Lance Miller; Trushar Jeevan; Anami Patel; Jacqueline M. Nolting; Michael J. Tonkovich; J. Tyler Genders; Andrew J. Montoney; Kevin Kasnyik; Timothy J. Linder; Sarah N. Bevins; Julianna B. Lenoch; Jeffrey C. Chandler; Thomas J. DeLiberto; Eugene V. Koonin; Marc A. Suchard; Philippe Lemey; Richard J. Webby; Martha I. Nelson; Andrew S. Bowman
Source
Nature Communications, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-15 (2023)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2041-1723
Abstract
Abstract The zoonotic origin of the COVID-19 pandemic virus highlights the need to fill the vast gaps in our knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 ecology and evolution in non-human hosts. Here, we detected that SARS-CoV-2 was introduced from humans into white-tailed deer more than 30 times in Ohio, USA during November 2021-March 2022. Subsequently, deer-to-deer transmission persisted for 2–8 months, disseminating across hundreds of kilometers. Newly developed Bayesian phylogenetic methods quantified how SARS-CoV-2 evolution is not only three-times faster in white-tailed deer compared to the rate observed in humans but also driven by different mutational biases and selection pressures. The long-term effect of this accelerated evolutionary rate remains to be seen as no critical phenotypic changes were observed in our animal models using white-tailed deer origin viruses. Still, SARS-CoV-2 has transmitted in white-tailed deer populations for a relatively short duration, and the risk of future changes may have serious consequences for humans and livestock.