The COVID pandemic may infect susceptible marine mammals from wastewater discharge into the oceans, according to researchers from the Department of Pathology at Dalhousie.
The team used genomic mapping to identify which animals would be vulnerable to the virus. Key amino acids which the viruses bound to were found to be shared across humans and certain marine mammals.
“Many of these species are threatened or critically endangered,” said Dr Graham Dellaire, director of the study. “In the past, these animals have been infected by related coronaviruses that have caused both mild disease as well as life-threatening liver and lung damage.”
18 out of 21 dolphin and porpoise species were predicted to have the same or higher susceptibility to the virus as humans, as well as eight out of nine seal species. SARS-CoV-2 is excreted in faeces, and can survive in the water for 25 days, creating a new pathway for infection. Thus far, no infection in marine animals has been observed.
The animals can be monitored for infection in a number of ways, including with the colourfully named SnotBot drone, which can sample whale mucus from blowholes.
Plans include vaccinating the animals, limiting contact at zoos and monitoring and treating wastewater.
Source: Phys.org
