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Research Highlights: Possibility of COVID-19 Virus Transmitted from Humans to Free-Ranging Wildlife such as Bats

Image Source: https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/ Original Article: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008758 The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the considerable public health, economic, and societal effects of virus spreading from a wildlife reservoir. The transmission of COVID-19 virus among humans also presents a new set of problems when considering viral spreading from people to naive wildlife and other animal populations. Establishing new wildlife reservoirs for COVID-19 virus will further complicate public health control measures and can lead to wildlife health and conservation impacts. It has been reported that the likely origin of COVID-19 virus and other related betacoronaviruses are bats. The study proposed that the key group of concern for viral spreading from humans to wildlife are the free-ranging bats. The study review the diversity and natural host range of betacoronavirus in bats. The study also examine the risk of humans accidentally infecting free-ranging bats with COVID-19 virus. Review of the worldwide distribution and host range of betacoronavirus evolutionary lineages proposes that more than 40 species of temperate-zone North American bats can be immunologically naive and vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. The study highlights an urgent need to proactively connect the well-being of human and wildlife health during the current pandemic. The study also highlights implementation of new tools to continue wildlife research. Read the full article