First Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in White Rhinoceros during a Small-Scale Coronavirus Surveillance in the Bandia Reserve, Senegal

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has heightened interest in the monitoring and surveillance of coronaviruses in wildlife. Testing for the virus in animals can provide valuable insights into viral reservoirs, transmission, and pathogenesis. In this study, we present the results of the molecular surveillance project focused on coronaviruses in Senegalese wildlife. During the project, we screened fecal samples of the wild animals living in the Bandia Reserve (ten non-human primates, one giraffe, and two white rhinoceros) and the free-living urban population of African four-toed hedgehogs in Ngaparou. The results showed the absence of coronaviruses in hedgehogs, non-human primates, and a giraffe. A single positive sample was obtained from a white rhinoceros. The sequencing results of amplified RdRp gene confirmed that the detected virus was SARS-CoV-2. This study represents the first documented instance of molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 in white rhinoceros and, therefore, extends our knowledge of possible SARS-CoV-2 hosts.

Keywords: SARS CoV-2; coronaviruses; molecular detection; wildlife surveillance.

Figure 1

Map of the location and sampling points of the study area. The sampling locations of the four-toed hedgehog, patas and green vervet monkeys, giraffe, and rhinoceros are depicted using green, blue, dark red, and red circles, respectively. The red asterisk highlights the positive sample derived from a white rhinoceros. The green background depicts the sampling site inside of the Bandia Reserve, where fresh fecal samples of patas and green vervet monkeys, giraffe, and white rhinoceros were collected. The light red area shows the locations in Ngaparou at which fresh fecal samples of the four-toed hedgehog were collected. The boundaries of the Bandia Reserve are represented using a red dotted line. The figure was generated using ArcMap 10.8.2.