Dutch Study Warns That Rabbits Are Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Could Play a Role in Transmissions
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Dec 27, 2024 18 hours, 49 minutes ago
Medical News: COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the intricate web of disease transmission between humans and animals. With an ever-growing list of animals capable of hosting the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a recent study investigated whether rabbits, commonly farmed worldwide, could also become carriers. Conducted by researchers from Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Viroclinics Biosciences, and Utrecht University in the Netherlands, the study explored the susceptibility of rabbits to SARS-CoV-2 infection under experimental conditions.
Dutch Study Warns That Rabbits Are Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Could
Play a Role in Transmissions
Why This Study Matters
Understanding animal susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for public health strategies. While domestic animals like dogs and cats have shown limited susceptibility, farmed animals like mink have already been implicated in significant virus transmission events. Mink-to-human transmission led to the mass culling of millions of animals. This
Medical News report focuses on whether a similar risk might exist for rabbits, a species widely raised for food, fur, and as pets.
Research Methodology
The researchers divided their work into in vitro experiments and live animal studies. First, they used cell lines to examine whether rabbit ACE2 receptors - the proteins that allow the virus to enter cells - could facilitate infection. Rabbit ACE2 was found to support SARS-CoV-2 entry, much like human ACE2 receptors. This discovery set the stage for live animal experiments.
In the in vivo phase, New Zealand White rabbits, all free from prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2, were divided into groups and inoculated with varying doses of the virus. Three groups received low, medium, or high doses, while a fourth group received a high dose and was monitored for an extended period of 21 days.
Key Findings
The study revealed fascinating insights into how rabbits respond to SARS-CoV-2. Despite showing no clinical symptoms of illness, the rabbits shed viral particles from their noses and throats. Here are the major findings:
Shedding Patterns:
-Viral RNA was detectable in nasal swabs for an average of 15 days, with infectious particles present for about 7 days.
-Shedding in the throat lasted approximately 11 days, while rectal shedding was minimal, averaging only 5 days.
Infectious Virus Detected:
-Peak infectious viral shedding occurred on day two post-inoculation, with another smaller peak around day seven in some animals.
-Infectious virus was rarely detected in throat swabs and absent from rectal swabs.
Immune Response:
-All rabbits monitored for 21 days developed neutralizing antibodies, indicating a robust immune response to the virus.
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Dose-Dependent Susceptibility:
-Rabbits exposed to lower doses of the virus showed limited or no viral shedding. However, those receiving higher doses consistently shed the virus, particularly through the nasal passages.
Tissue Analysis:
-No viral RNA was found in the lungs, but histological examination revealed signs of mild lung inflammation. This included thickened alveolar walls and infiltrations of immune cells such as neutrophils and eosinophils.
Broader Implications
This research confirms that rabbits can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 under experimental conditions. Although the infection remained asymptomatic and shedding was limited, the findings raise questions about the potential for rabbits to act as silent carriers of the virus. In farmed settings, where animals are kept in high densities, even a low level of transmission could pose risks of viral adaptation and spillover into wild populations or back to humans.
Comparisons with Other Animals
The findings align with earlier research on ferrets, cats, and mink, which also showed susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. However, the dose-dependent nature of rabbit infection suggests they might be less efficient hosts than mink or ferrets. Importantly, the absence of significant lung infection parallels patterns observed in ferrets but contrasts with the severe respiratory symptoms seen in infected mink.
Study Limitations
The study’s use of young, healthy, and specific-pathogen-free New Zealand White rabbits limits its generalizability. Factors such as breed, age, and underlying health conditions could influence susceptibility and viral shedding. Moreover, the controlled experimental conditions do not perfectly replicate real-world farming or domestic environments.
Conclusions
The study provides compelling evidence that rabbits can host SARS-CoV-2 and shed the virus asymptomatically. While the risk of transmission to humans appears lower than in mink, the potential for spillover cannot be ruled out, particularly in farmed or high-density settings. This highlights the importance of monitoring rabbit populations for signs of SARS-CoV-2, especially given their global economic and ecological roles. Future research should investigate the potential for long-term viral adaptation in rabbits and assess the role of other environmental and biological factors.
In light of these findings, public health agencies might consider incorporating rabbits into surveillance programs for emerging zoonotic diseases. Measures to prevent interspecies transmission, such as improving biosecurity on farms and monitoring for infections in domestic rabbits, could play a role in mitigating risks.
The study findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal: Emerging Microbes and Infections.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/22221751.2020.1868951
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