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Bosco-Lauth, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Bosco-Lauth, A..

2 recordsLinked to original sources
bioRxiv2021

SARS-CoV-2 evolution in animals suggests mechanisms for rapid variant selection

SARS-CoV-2 spillback from humans into domestic and wild animals has been well-documented. We compared variants of cell culture-expanded SARS-CoV-2 inoculum and virus recovered from four species following experimental exposure. Five nonsynonymous changes in nsp12, S, N and M genes were near fixation in the inoculum, but reverted to wild-type sequences in RNA recovered from dogs, cats and hamsters within 1-3 days post-exposure. Fourteen emergent variants were detected in viruses recovered from animals, including substitutions at spike positions H69, N501, and D614, which also vary in human lineages of concern. The rapidity of in vitro and in vivo SARS-CoV-2 selection reveals residues with functional significance during host-switching, illustrating the potential for spillback reservoir hosts to accelerate evolution, and demonstrating plasticity of viral adaptation in animal models. One-Sentence SummarySARS-CoV-2 variants rapidly arise in non-human hosts, revealing viral evolution and potential risk for human reinfection.

evolutionary biology↗
bioRxiv2021

Survey of peridomestic mammal susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Wild animals have been implicated as the origin of SARS-CoV-2, but it is largely unknown how the virus affects most wildlife species and if wildlife could ultimately serve as a reservoir for maintaining the virus outside the human population. Here we show that several common peridomestic species, including deer mice, bushy-tailed woodrats, and striped skunks, are susceptible to infection and can shed the virus in respiratory secretions. In contrast, we demonstrate that cottontail rabbits, fox squirrels, Wyoming ground squirrels, black-tailed prairie dogs, house mice, and racoons are not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our work expands upon the existing knowledge base of susceptible species and provides evidence that human-wildlife interactions could result in continued transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

microbiology↗