An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant and deaths of three lions in a zoo.

Publication date: Dec 01, 2024

There have been reports of the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from humans to various mammalian species. Some infected animals show clinical signs and may even die in rare cases. Outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 have been reported in zoos where susceptible animals are bred in high population densities. However, there have been few reports of omicron variant outbreaks in zoo animals. From late 2022 to 2023, an outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant occurred in one Japanese zoo. A total of 24 lions were housed in the zoo; 13 of them showed respiratory symptoms, and the three oldest lions died. Molecular and histopathological analyses revealed that the deceased lions were infected with SARS-CoV-2 omicron BF. 7.15. Virus-neutralization tests showed that all 21 lions were positive for antibodies against the omicron variant, but not against the delta variant. In addition, three tigers and one bear in the same or neighboring building as the lions possessed antibodies against the omicron variant. This is a very rare report on the outbreak of a SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant infection that resulted in the death of animals. This finding demonstrates the importance of continuous countermeasures to protect non-vaccinated animals from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Concepts Keywords
Coronavirus Lion
Histopathological Omicron
Japanese Reverse zoonosis
Lions SARS-CoV-2

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease VO Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
disease VO population
disease VO report
disease MESH infection
disease MESH death
disease VO vaccinated
disease MESH SARS-CoV-2 infection
pathway REACTOME SARS-CoV-2 Infection
drug DRUGBANK Stavudine
disease IDO reverse zoonosis

Original Article

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