Serological Assay for SARS-CoV-2 in Domestic and Wild Animals in Middle and Southeast Regions in Brazil

Author(s): Julia Maldi Dias, Mariana Oliveira Costa, Amanda Oliveira de Souza, Majela Lima Faria, Daniel Hofman Golcman, Mariana Baroni Selim, Emília Patricia Medici, Guilherme Shin Iwamoto Haga, Adriana Hellmeiester de Campos Nogueira Romaldini¹ and Liria Hiromi Okuda

The new coronavirus pandemic has become a major public health crisis and, from a One Health perspective, the need to assess transmissibility to animal species and its consequences has become essential to assess the possible risks of maintaining this agent infectious in other hosts in the nature. Therefore, the present study consisted of a serological survey of SARS-CoV-2 in 950 species of domestic and wild animals, from the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais and São Paulo, Central and Southeastern regions in Brazil. The serological study used the ELISA ID Screen® “SARS-CoV-2 Double Antigen Multi Species” (ID-Vet.®) test, according to the recommendations in the manufacturer's manual and capable to detect antibodies in different species. The frequency found was 1.37% (13/950) of animals carrying anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, being identified in dogs (2.63%), horses (1.46%), cattle (1. 09%) and bats (2.70%). The tapir was the only seronegative species for Covid-19. The horses belonging to the Military Police of the State of São Paulo were able to be monitored and observed that some animals showed a long period of antibody persistance, as occurs in humans. This serological survey contributed to evaluating possible hosts of SARS-CoV-2 in different animal species from the perspective of One Health, in Brazil.