Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Chan, Jasper Fuk-Woo
• Siu, Gilman Kit-Hang
• Yuan, Shuofeng
• Ip, Jonathan Daniel
• Cai, Jian-Piao
• Chu, Allen Wing-Ho
• Chan, Wan-Mui
• Abdullah, Syed Muhammad Umer
• Luo, Cuiting
• Chan, Brian Pui-Chun
• Yuen, Terrence Tsz-Tai
• Chen, Lin-Lei
• Chik, Kenn Ka-Heng
• Liang, Ronghui
• Cao, Hehe
• Man Poon, Vincent Kwok
• Chan, Chris Chung-Sing
• Leung, Kit-Hang
• Tam, Anthony Raymond
• Tsang, Owen Tak-Yin
• Chan, Jacky Man-Chun
• To, Wing-Kin
• Lam, Bosco Hoi-Shiu
• Lee, Lam-Kwong
• Lo, Hazel Wing-Hei
• Wong, Ivan Tak-Fai
• Leung, Jake Siu-Lun
• Wong, Evelyn Yin-Kwan
• Chu, Hin
• Yip, Cyril Chik-Yan
• Cheng, Vincent Chi-Chung
• Chan, Kwok-Hung
• Tse, Herman
• Lung, David Christopher
• Ng, Kenneth Ho-Leung
• Au, Albert Ka-Wing
• Hung, Ivan Fan-Ngai
• Yuen, Kwok-Yung
• To, Kelvin Kai-Wang

Titel

Probable Animal-to-Human Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant AY.127 Causing a Pet Shop-Related COVID-19 Outbreak in Hong Kong

Ist Teil von

• Clinical infectious diseases, 2022-03

Ort / Verlag

United States: Oxford University Press

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Oxford Journals 2020 Medicine

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• SARS-CoV-2 can infect human and other mammals, including hamsters. Syrian (Mesocricetus auratus) and dwarf (Phodopus sp.) hamsters are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the laboratory setting. However, pet shop-related COVID-19 outbreaks have not been reported. We conducted an investigation of a pet shop-related COVID-19 outbreak due to Delta variant AY.127 involving at least three patients in Hong Kong. We tested samples collected from the patients, environment, and hamsters linked to this outbreak and performed whole genome sequencing analysis of the RT-PCR-positive samples. The patients included a pet shop keeper (Patient 1), a female customer of the pet shop (Patient 2), and the husband of Patient 2 (Patient 3). Investigation showed that 17.2% (5/29) and 25.5% (13/51) environmental specimens collected from the pet shop and its related warehouse, respectively, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR. Among euthanized hamsters randomly collected from the storehouse, 3% (3/100) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR and seropositive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody by ELISA. Whole genome analysis showed that although all genomes from the outbreak belonged to the Delta variant AY.127, there were at least 3 nucleotide differences among the genomes from different patients and the hamster cages. Genomic analysis suggests that multiple strains have emerged within the hamster population, and these different strains have likely transmitted to human either via direct contact or via the environment. Our study demonstrated probable hamster-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2. As pet trading is common around the world, this can represent a route of international spread of this pandemic virus.