A ground-breaking survey of white-tailed deer in the US found evidence of both human-to-deer and deer-to-deer transmission of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans. The study found that white-tailed deer were infected with the being infected with the virus across at least 4 states in the US. In Iowa, 80% of the deer sampled November 2020 and January 2021 were found to be carrying COVID-19 virus in a second unpublished study. The white-tailed deer has the largest population among large mammal in North America with just the US being home to 30 million of the species. The researchers also raised concerns around possible spill back of the COVID-19 virus from the wild animal to humans.

Source: dna November 10, 2021 17:43 UTC