Russia (bbabo.net), - Scientists at the University of Pretoria have found that the delta strain of coronavirus was transmitted to animals from people - zoo employees who were asymptomatic. The results of the study were published in the journal Viruses.

It is known that human health is closely related to the health of animals and the general environment. Close contact with animals and their environment creates opportunities for the spread of disease between animals and humans.

The disease was heavily tolerated by lions and cougars by animals of a private zoo. So, their PCR tests showed a positive result for seven weeks. All this time the animals were in quarantine.

It is noted that in 2020, researchers checked the analyzes of two cougars who were ill with coronavirus and recovered in 23 days. However, at that time, no study of the source of infection was carried out, and a year later it was not possible to sequence the genome.

A year later, three lions in the same zoo fell ill. They had breathing problems, runny nose, cough for up to 15 days. One lioness had pneumonia that did not respond to antibiotics. By the 25th day from the onset of the disease, they recovered after treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs and maintenance therapy.

During the illness of the lions, 12 employees tested for the source of the infection and found two people who tested positive. So the virus can infect these animals naturally, although the study is the only one so far, scientists say.

The scientists said the timing of the infection of lions from a person infected with COVID-19 is difficult to estimate because all employees were asymptomatic at the time of the outbreak. They stressed that reverse zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from asymptomatic handlers poses a risk to captive large cats.

The researchers concluded that zoos must take all precautions and implement infection control to protect animals and because of the risk of new variants of the virus that can take root in reservoir animals and then be transmitted back to humans.

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