Probable Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from African Lion to Zoo Employees, Indiana, USA, 2021

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Personal Author:
  Siegrist, Audrey A. ; Richardson, Kira L. ; Ghai, Ria R. ; Pope, Brian ; Yeadon, Jamie ; Culp, Betsy ; Behravesh, Casey Barton ; Liu, Lixia ; Brown, Jennifer A. ; Boyer, Leslie V.
• Description:
  We describe animal-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a zoo setting in Indiana, USA. A vaccinated African lion with physical limitations requiring hand feeding tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after onset of respiratory signs. Zoo employees were screened, monitored prospectively for onset of symptoms, then rescreened as indicated; results were confirmed by using reverse transcription PCR and whole-genome virus sequencing when possible. Traceback investigation narrowed the source of infection to 1 of 6 persons. Three exposed employees subsequently had onset of symptoms, 2 with viral genomes identical to the lion's. Forward contact tracing investigation confirmed probable lion-to-human transmission. Close contact with large cats is a risk factor for bidirectional zoonotic SARS-CoV-2 transmission that should be considered when occupational health and biosecurity practices at zoos are designed and implemented. SARS-CoV-2 rapid testing and detection methods for big cats and other susceptible animals should be developed and validated to enable timely implementation of One Health investigations.
• Subjects:
  Animals Contact Tracing COVID-19/veterinary Humans Lions SARS-CoV-2
• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis. 2023; 29(6):1102-1108
• Pubmed ID:
  37069611
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC10202875
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Indiana
• Volume:
  29
• Issue:
  6
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:f6ce06eb16672931b81b4bab6c51b95edeed5ef9b94dc08ae44b34eea93e1e9c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/129725/cdc_129725_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.15 MB ]