학술논문
SARS-CoV-2 infection in synanthropic rats from Guayaquil city (Ecuador) during COVID-19 pandemic: A proxy to prevent wild reservoirs in the tropics.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Orlando SA; Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública e Investigación, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Universidad Espíritu Santo, Guayaquil, Ecuador.; Mera MD; Universidad Agraria del Ecuador, Guayaquil, Ecuador.; Mora Jaramillo N; Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública e Investigación, Guayaquil, Ecuador.; Leon-Sosa A; Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública e Investigación, Guayaquil, Ecuador.; Calderon J; Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública e Investigación, Guayaquil, Ecuador.; Rodriguez-Pazmiño AS; One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador.; Garcia-Bereguiain MA; One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador. Electronic address: magbereguiain@gmail.com.
Source
Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 0370374 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-6254 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0001706X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Acta Trop Subsets: MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Human-to-animal reverse transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is a risk for new reservoirs' emergence and new variants' evolution. SARS-CoV-2 infection of synanthropic rodents in urban settings has been reported during COVID-19 in New York and Mexico cities. In this study, we addressed the potential transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to synanthropic rats in the city of Guayaquil (Ecuador) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total number of 234 rats were collected and analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-qPCR. A positivity rate of 6 % (14 rats) was found, and SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by Sanger sequencing of the viral genome. Our results confirm the potential risk of synanthropic rats as reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2 infection. This is worrisome for low and middle income countries like Ecuador, where pest and waste control in urban settings is challenging. Moreover, the risk of spillover to wild fauna is a concern in Guayaquil, where synanthropic fauna includes raccoons or coatis and forest patches with a wild population of felids or primates existing within the city limits. In this context, SARS-CoV-2 sentinel surveillance of synanthropic rodents could serve as a proxy for a One Health approach to prevent the emergence of new wild reservoirs.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)