COVID-19 diffused through wastewater can devastate some marine mammal species

Dalhausie researchers say whales, seals, and other endangered marine mammals can be victims of COVID-19 infection through wastewater and sewage that infiltrate marine habitats. States in a new study. Virus.

In a study published in Comprehensive environmental science, The team describes how to use genomic mapping to determine which marine mammals are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2. Virus It causes COVID-19. They examined the major amino acids that the virus binds to and found that there are significant similarities between humans and several marine mammals such as dolphins, beluga whales, seals and sea otters.

Graham Dellaire (left), head of research at the Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, used a modeling approach. Marine mammalsSensitivity to SARS-CoV-2. The team found that at least 15 marine mammals are susceptible to infection from SARS-CoV-2 because of the ACE2 receptor, an important protein required for the virus to invade and infect cells. Did.

Importantly, more than half of the species determined to be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 are already at risk worldwide.

“Many of these species are endangered or endangered,” says Dr. Delea. “In the past, these animals have been infected with the associated coronavirus, which caused both mild illness and life-threatening liver and lung damage.”

Sensitivity to viruses equal to or greater than humans

The team predicts that the majority of whale, dolphin, and porpoise species (18 out of 21) are as virus-sensitive as humans, and 8 out of 9 species of porpoise are also SARS-CoV. -I predict that it will be very sensitive. 2.2.

“Our main concern is in developing countries, where there are already disparities in public health and wastewater treatment infrastructure needed to address the COVID-19 crisis,” said Dr. Kiram, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Delea’s lab. Saby Mathavarajah says. -Created a report. “Monitoring sensitive species in these high-risk areas around the world is appropriate to protect wildlife during and after a pandemic.”

Studies show that SARS-CoV-2 is excreted in faeces and can survive in water for up to 25 days, and wastewater provides another mode of diffusion of this coronavirus, as it happened in Spain, Italy and France. There is a possibility. A virus was detected in untreated sewage.

For example, in Italy, SARS-CoV-2 was recently detected in untreated wastewater, but in Paris, high concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA died from COVID in sewage between March and April 2020. It was shown to correlate with the surge in. -19 About 7 days later. In June, SARS-CoV-2 was also detected in river water in Ecuador, and untreated sewage was transported directly to mineral water.

Wastewater outflow from lagoon, pond

Many jurisdictions have at least primary waste treatment, but under certain conditions sewage systems can be overwhelmed and raw sewage can overflow directly into vulnerable mammal habitats. Even wastewater treated by primary means has been shown to have detectable levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Primary treated wastewater can be released from sand basins and lagoons. This is a risk identified by researchers as a potential problem in Alaska where beluga whales can be transmitted from sewage leaking from the state’s lagoon system into local waterways.

“For the past few months, our lab has focused on detecting SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater to aid understanding. public health “Results,” says Graham Ganyon (pictured right), a professor at Dal’s Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, who worked with his colleague Dr. Amina Stoddart.

“But this study helped shed light on the potentially significant environmental problems of untreated wastewater.”

There have been no recorded cases of SARS-CoV-2 in marine mammals so far, but with dolphins Beluga whale I have been infected with a related coronavirus in the past. Also, because most marine mammals are social, close contact with the coronavirus can cause them to spread among animals. Therefore, infected animals can threaten the entire population.

The authors suggest that infectious animals can be monitored through innovations such as drone sampling of whale fountain mucus called SnotBot, and even vaccination of these animals.

They also recommend limiting human-animal interactions in the zoo to prevent potential exposure to the virus.

Finally, they say Wastewater The treatment system needs to evaluate whether the viral sewage can be prevented from transmitting to the natural water system.

“Given the proximity of marine animals to high-risk environments where viruses can spill, we protect marine mammal species that are predicted to be at risk and mitigate the environmental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to do so, we need to act with foresight. ”