The reason why influenza is a concern that must be addressed anew every winter season is because the virus has ample opportunity to mutate among humans and animal reservoirs. Each season, influenza strains with different surface proteins predominate the circulation among humans, and these surface proteins are sufficiently different to evade detection by a human’s immune system even if they’ve had the flu before. A similar phenomenon may be taking place with SARS-CoV-2. Health officials in Denmark studied SARS-CoV-2 that was circulating between farmed mink and people. They found that the virus was spreading rapidly among mink and that it was transmitted readily between humans and mink as well. Moreover, some mink-derived mutations in the viral genome have already spread widely among people. The implications of this are serious. If able to spread rapidly through mink populations, the virus could easily mutate such that it’s able to reinfect people who have antibodies to the old strain. This would include people who were infected in the past as well as those who had gotten a COVID19 vaccine. While much of this is still speculative, it’s a concern that needs to be taken seriously. Denmark is the world’s largest producer of mink pelts, and in mink farms in Denmark nearly all tested animals have been positive for COVID19 antibodies. Outbreaks among mink have also been detected in several other countries including the Netherlands which has plans to cull its entire mink population by 2021. Denmark is also considering this option which would require culling 17 million mink.
- Renata
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03218-z
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