SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant among Asiatic Lions, India

Anamika Mishra; Naveen Kumar; Sandeep Bhatia; Ashutosh Aasdev; Sridhar Kanniappan; Abelraj Thaya Sekhar; Aparna Gopinadhan; Ramu Silambarasan; Chirukandoth Sreekumar; Chandan Kumar Dubey; Meghna Tripathi; Ashwin Ashok Raut; Vijendra Pal Singh

doi:10.3201/eid2710.211500

SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant among Asiatic Lions, India

Emerg Infect Dis. 2021 Oct;27(10):2723-2725. doi: 10.3201/eid2710.211500.

Authors

Anamika Mishra, Naveen Kumar, Sandeep Bhatia, Ashutosh Aasdev, Sridhar Kanniappan, Abelraj Thaya Sekhar, Aparna Gopinadhan, Ramu Silambarasan, Chirukandoth Sreekumar, Chandan Kumar Dubey, Meghna Tripathi, Ashwin Ashok Raut, Vijendra Pal Singh

Abstract

In May 2021, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected in Asiatic lions in a zoological park in India. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses showed the SARS-CoV-2 strains were the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant. To reduce transmission of variants of concern, surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wild animal populations should be increased.

Keywords: Asiatic lions; COVID-19; Delta variant; India; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; coronavirus disease; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses; zoonoses.

Publication types

Letter

MeSH terms

Animals
COVID-19*
Humans
Lions*
Phylogeny
SARS-CoV-2