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Comparative Study
. 2021 Dec;10(1):2199-2201.
doi: 10.1080/22221751.2021.2003724.

Susceptibility of livestock to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Angela M Bosco-Lauth  1 , Audrey Walker  1 , Lauren Guilbert  1 , Stephanie Porter  1 , Airn Hartwig  1 , Emma McVicker  1 , Helle Bielefeldt-Ohmann  2 , Richard A Bowen  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Susceptibility of livestock to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Angela M Bosco-Lauth et al. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

We report pilot studies to evaluate the susceptibility of common domestic livestock (cattle, sheep, goat, alpaca, rabbit, and horse) to intranasal infection with SARS-CoV-2. None of the infected animals shed infectious virus via nasal, oral, or faecal routes, although viral RNA was detected in several animals. Further, neutralizing antibody titres were low or non-existent one month following infection. These results suggest that domestic livestock are unlikely to contribute to SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; alpaca; cattle; goat; horse; livestock; rabbit; sheep.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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