Researchers hope wildlife study will provide insight into COVID-19, future pandemics

A project at Virginia Tech will have disease ecologists looking at the effects of the COVID-19 virus on wildlife. Researchers will look at white-footed and deer mice, opossums, squirrels, skunks and raccoons.

A $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will help fund the exploration of the risk of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 in common backyard species.

Researchers Joseph Hoyt, Carla Finkielstein, Kate Landwig and James Weger-Lucarelli hope the work will provide important insights for human and animal health.

The project aims to answer important questions about the potential risks to public health posed by the virus in wildlife. The team will use mathematical modeling, field sampling, genomic surveillance, biochemical analysis and immunological studies to address outstanding knowledge gaps.

“The idea is that this is a novel emerging disease not just of humans, but likely many North American species that have never been exposed to this before,” said Langwig. “Interactions with people might be important in determining the dynamics of the system because we know humans are a primary host to be infected with SARS-CoV-2.”

Field data will be taken from individual wildlife communities including Greenway Park in Roanoke and closed wilderness areas with limited interaction.

“Wildlife species have dramatically different life histories from humans and each other, which should significantly affect viral adaptations in novel ways,” Hoyt said. “Therefore, determining which species are most important in determining infection is of key importance.”

The work could provide insight into COVID-19 but also future pandemics.

“By investing in and prioritizing this surveillance, we not only gain insights into potential zoonotic threats like SARS-CoV-2 but also take proactive steps to protect both human and animal populations from future pandemics,” said Finkielstein.

“Our collective goal is to figure out previously uncharacterized species that may serve as reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2 and whether new variants are likely to emerge from animal communities, thus providing key information for public health surveillance programs,” said Hoyt.