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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Dec;41(1):250-267.
doi: 10.1080/01652176.2021.1970280.

SARS-CoV-2 natural infection in animals: a systematic review of studies and case reports and series

D Katterine Bonilla-Aldana  1 , Alejandra García-Barco  2 , S Daniela Jimenez-Diaz  1 , Jorge Luis Bonilla-Aldana  3 , Maria C Cardona-Trujillo  2 , Fausto Muñoz-Lara  4   5 , Lysien I Zambrano  6 , Luis A Salas-Matta  7 , Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales  7   8   9
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

SARS-CoV-2 natural infection in animals: a systematic review of studies and case reports and series

D Katterine Bonilla-Aldana et al. Vet Q. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic is essentially a zoonotic disease. In this context, early in 2020, transmission from humans to certain animals began reporting; the number of studies has grown since. To estimate the pooled prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 natural infection in animals and to determine differences in prevalence between countries, years, animal types and diagnostic methods (RT-PCR or serological tests). A systematic literature review with meta-analysis using eight databases. Observational studies were included but analyzed separately. We performed a random-effects model meta-analysis to calculate the pooled prevalence and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for prevalence studies and case series. After the screening, 65 reports were selected for full-text assessment and included for qualitative and quantitative analyses. A total of 24 reports assessed SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-PCR, combining a total of 321,785 animals, yielding a pooled prevalence of 12.3% (95% CI 11.6%-13.0%). Also, a total of 17 studies additionally assessed serological response against SARS-CoV-2, including nine by ELISA, four by PRTN, one by MIA, one by immunochromatography (rest, two studies, the method was not specified), combining a total of 5319 animals, yielding a pooled prevalence of 29.4% (95% CI 22.9%-35.9%). A considerable proportion of animals resulted infected by SARS-CoV-2, ranking minks among the highest value, followed by dogs and cats. Further studies in other animals are required to define the extent and importance of natural infection due to SARS-CoV-2. These findings have multiple implications for public human and animal health. One Health approach in this context is critical for prevention and control.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; animals; prevalence; transmission; zoonotic.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors report no potential conflicts.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Study selection and characteristics, based on the PRISMA 2020 Standard for Systematic Reviews.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Pool prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among animals assessed by RT-PCR from prevalence studies.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Pool prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among animals assessed by RT-PCR from prevalence studies, by countries.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Pool prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among animals assessed by RT-PCR from prevalence studies, by animal type.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Pool prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among animals assessed by RT-PCR from prevalence studies, by year.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Funnel-plot for the Standard Error to assess for publication bias for the prevalence studies using RT-PCR (A), using serological tests (B), and for the case series (C).
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Pool prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among animals assessed by serological tests from prevalence studies.
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Pool prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among animals assessed by serological tests from prevalence studies, by country.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Pool prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among animals assessed by serological tests from prevalence studies by animals.
Figure 10.
Figure 10.
Pool prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among animals assessed by serological tests from prevalence studies, by years.
Figure 11.
Figure 11.
Pool prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among animals assessed by RT-PCR at case series.
Figure 12.
Figure 12.
Pool prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among animals assessed by RT-PCR at case series by countries (A), by animals (B), and by years (C).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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