Researchers Detect Coronavirus in Iowa Deer

Multiple white tailed deer tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 likely transmitted from humans, a study finds, indicating the species could act as a reservoir for the virus.

Written byChloe Tenn

| 3 min read

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Deer at grass field with autumn trees at the background stock photo

White-tailed deer grazing

Image credit:© ISTOCK.COM, MOUNTAINBERRYPHOTO

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Update (January 26, 2022): This study has now been published in PNAS.

A study posted by bioRxiv on November 1 finds SARS-CoV-2 in wild and captive white-tailed deer populations in Iowa, with indications that the virus is traveling through both human-to-deer spillover and deer-to-deer transmission. In the study, the authors warn that their observations reveal an “urgent need” for a better understanding about the “ecology and evolution of SARS-CoV-2,” especially regarding the potential for populations of free-roaming animals like deer to become virus reservoirs and eventual sources of spillover back into humans.

The study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, “is the first to provide evidence of widespread dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 into any free-living species, in this case white-tailed deer,” according to the paper, and the authors write that the transmission of the coronavirus from humans to animals poses a challenge for controlling SARS-CoV-2 and can have consequences for ...

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Meet the Author

Chloe Tenn
Chloe Tenn is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where she studied neurobiology, English, and forensic science. Fascinated by the intersection of science and society, she has written for organizations such as NC Sea Grant and the Smithsonian. Chloe also works as a freelancer with AZoNetwork, where she ghostwrites content for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food, energy, and environmental companies. She recently completed her MSc Science Communication from the University of Manchester, where she researched how online communication impacts disease stigma. You can check out more of her work here.
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