Did the mink only give humans the coronavirus? This is what we know.

Dutch officials said this week that Mink was suspected of infecting workers on Dutch fur farms with the coronavirus. If confirmed, this is the first concrete evidence that a particular species has transmitted the virus to humans.

Analysis found strong similarities between workers and mink viruses, making them plausible The virus jumped the seed. “Based on this comparison and the location of the form of the virus in the family tree, researchers concluded that some staff members of the infected farm were likely infected with mink,” the Dutch government said. statement..

Mink on at least three farms in the southern part of the country tested positive for coronavirus, said Lisa Gaster, a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture and Natural Foods.

Virologist Brian Bird, a veterinarian and associate director at the University of California Davis One Health Institute, said: Birds not involved in the Dutch response warn against excessive alarms. “The risks here are related to direct contact or proximity to the captive minks, and indeed the general population has little contact with their animals in their environment.”

domestic dog,Cat, tiger, And lions have also been tested positive for the virus, but there is no evidence that these animals have infected humans.

The genomes of the closely related viruses found in horseshoe bats are 96% identical You have a coronavirus. But scientists have not yet established that the virus jumped directly from bats to humans. Unless you find SARS-CoV-2 (a coronavirus circulating among people) in wild bats, it may be impossible to prove it. It also remains unclear whether intermediate hosts such as pangolins transmitted the virus to humans. (For more information, The quest to find the next potential coronavirus animal host.. )

More than 800,000 minks live on Dutch farms, and according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Foods, this industry contributes about $ 100 million annually. In the wild, animals like weasels live in or near water. Their soft fur has long been sought after in clothing, especially in China. Top importer Mink fur.

According to the Humane Society International, in 2016 there were more than 150 fur farms in the Netherlands, producing 6 million mink furs, but those fur farms are being phased out. Since 2013 the government has banned the opening of new mink farms and all existing facilities must be closed by 2024. Human Society International’s Fashion Policy Director, PJ Smith, said the development of the mink coronavirus could accelerate closure. He describes mink farms throughout Europe as similar to poultry and pig farms. “They have a row of cages kept in a barn, where thousands of minks are kept. Each cage has a few animals, and their excrements pass through wire bars to the ground. fall.”

Even if mink-to-human transmission was confirmed to be the first known animal-to-human transmission, Dutch officials said the risk of this incident and the general fur farms to the general public would be Emphasize that there is no. Bilthoven-based Dutch National Institutes of Public Health and Environmental Studies on mink farms show no evidence of the presence of the virus in dust or air molecules outside the shed containing the animals.

Authorities banned the removal of mink, fertilizers, or other animals from infected farms last month after coronavirus was confirmed in mink on several Dutch farms. Officials initially thought that minks on the farm were infected by the virus from humans, but based on genomic analysis, they believe that the minks were sick on farm workers.

This week, the government also reported that stray cats may be spreading the virus between fur farms. .. “Because of further investigation, mink farm owners are advised to keep cats out of the site,” the government said.

Farm workers infected with the coronavirus have recovered. Meanwhile, authorities are introducing new health and safety regulations. All farm minks are tested for coronavirus antibodies to see how prevalent the virus is in these situations. On farms where animals have been found to be infected, visitors cannot enter mink huts and employees must use personal protective equipment. In addition, farms must report cases of mink showing COVID-19 symptoms to the government.

Researchers in the Netherlands are now trying to track genealogy of viruses and better understand the chain of transmission by comparing genetic samples taken from sick farm workers, infected people around the farm, and infected minks. I will.

Although the government has taken appropriate steps, virologist Brian Bird said that learning about other species and other infected animals may require surveillance in the future. “We need to keep our mind open and tune our radar high.”