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The severe coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed several lives globally, has reportedly been detected in an animal. The deadly virus which only affected humans up until now was detected in a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York, reports CNN. Nadia, a 4-year-old female Malayan tiger, tested positive for COVID-19 after developing a dry cough.
Nadia and six other tigers and lions were reportedly infected by a zoo employee, who wasn’t showing symptoms, said the officials at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), samples of the animals were taken and tested after they experienced respiratory illness.
“Though they have experienced some decrease in appetite, the cats at the Bronx Zoo are otherwise doing well under veterinary care and are bright, alert, and interactive with their keepers,” the zoo was quoted saying.
Nadia and all the other animals, who showed symptoms, are expected to make a full recovery as per the zoo, reports Business Today. Also, no other animals in the zoo have shown any signs of illness. The Covid-19 testing was performed on Nadia in a veterinary school laboratory and is not the same test used for people.
From Dr. Paul Calle, Bronx Zoo chief veterinarian; "The COVID-19 testing that was performed on our Malayan tiger Nadia was performed in a veterinary school laboratory and is not the same test as is used for people.
— Bronx Zoo (@BronxZoo) April 6, 2020
You cannot send human samples to the veterinary laboratory, and you cannot send animal tests to the human laboratories, so there is no competition for testing between these very different situations."
— Bronx Zoo (@BronxZoo) April 6, 2020
The deadly outbreak which is driven by person-to-person transmission has now raised new questions about the transmission of the virus in animals.
“This is the first time that any of us know of anywhere in the world that a person infected the animal and the animal got sick,” Paul Calle, the chief veterinarian at the zoo was quoted saying by BBC.
The USDA said there are no known cases of the virus in U.S. pets or livestock. The zoo officials will share their findings with the researchers to contribute to the world’s understanding of this novel coronavirus. While there is no evidence yet that animals can transmit the disease, we hope the virus is contained soon before it severely affects wildlife.
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