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Exposure of humans or animals to SARS-CoV-2 from wild, livestock, companion and aquatic animals

Qualitative exposure assessment













El Masry, I., von Dobschuetz, S., Plee, L., Larfaoui, F., Yang, Z., Song, J., Pfeiffer, D., Calvin, S., Roberts, H., Lorusso, A., Barton-Behravesh, C., Zheng, Z., Kalpravidh, W. & Sumption, K. 2020. Exposure of humans or animals to SARS-CoV-2 from wild, livestock, companion and aquatic animals: Qualitative exposure assessment. FAO animal production and health, Paper 181. Rome, FAO.



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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Exposure of humans or animals to SARS-CoV-2 from wild, livestock, companion and aquatic animals
    Qualitative exposure assessment – Summary
    2020
    SARS-CoV-2 is an emerging virus currently causing a large epidemic of COVID-19. Countries have asked FAO to provide guidance on how to investigate the potential animal sources(s) of the virus. This summary provides a shorter version of the original paper on rapid qualitative risk assessment for SARS-CoV-2 spillover at animal-human interface, and highlights the key knowledge gaps and recommendations.
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    Recommendations for the epidemiological investigation of SARS-CoV-2 in exposed animals
    SARS-CoV-2 detection in farmed and companion animals
    2021
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    Acknowledging the zoonotic nature of SARS-CoV-2, investigations about potential animal hosts are of great importance to improve understanding of COVID-19 epidemiology and identify susceptible animal species as well as possible transmission between humans and animals. Positive findings by a polymerase chain reaction in dogs, cats, farmed mink, and wild feline in zoos have raised concerns about the possible role livestock and companion animals could play in the amplification and spread of the virus. Several studies looking at the binding affinity of SARS-CoV-2 receptor in different animal species hypothesized a probable wide range of animal hosts especially mammals. Field studies need to be undertaken now, in the short term, while virus circulation in humans is ongoing in different parts of the world. A thorough One Health investigation is recommended by FAO for events where livestock and companion animals are in close contact to confirmed human COVID-19 cases, or in situations where animals tested SARS-CoV-2 positive in absence of information on the infection status of in-contact humans. By jointly analyzing laboratory and epidemiological information on human and animal cases collected by public health and veterinary services, so-called 4-way linking, our understanding of the epidemiology of COVID-19 and potential transmission between humans and animals will be greatly enhanced.
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    Book (series)
    Human Exposure to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus from Livestock or Wildlife Species 2017
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    Recurrent outbreaks of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in humans have been reported, mainly from the Arabian Peninsula, since 2012, with a notable outbreak in Republic of Korea from May through July 2015. To evaluate the role of domestic and wild animals, in particular dromedary camels and bats, and assess the likelihood of human exposure to MERS-CoV (i) through direct contact with these animals, (ii) while handling and consuming their products (milk, meat, urine) and (iii) from the environment at the animal-human interface (e.g. farms, households, slaughterhouses, markets, etc.), FAO prepared this qualitative release assessment. This assessment is based on information available as of 19 May 2017 and will be revised as circumstances change. It focuses on livestock-related aspects and is therefore restricted to an exposure assessment at the animal-human interface (i.e. a description of biological pathways necessary for exposure of humans to MERS-CoV released from animals and the estimation of its probability). For further aspects of the human infection and detailed consequence assessments, please refer to risk assessments by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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