First Evidence of Natural SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Domestic Rabbits

Matthieu Fritz; Daphné de Riols de Fonclare; Déborah Garcia; Stéphanie Beurlet; Pierre Becquart; Serge G Rosolen; Alexandra Briend-Marchal; Eric M Leroy

doi:10.3390/vetsci9020049

First Evidence of Natural SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Domestic Rabbits

Vet Sci. 2022 Jan 27;9(2):49. doi: 10.3390/vetsci9020049.

Authors

Matthieu Fritz¹, Daphné de Riols de Fonclare¹, Déborah Garcia¹, Stéphanie Beurlet², Pierre Becquart¹, Serge G Rosolen^{3

4}, Alexandra Briend-Marchal², Eric M Leroy¹

Affiliations

¹ Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle (MIVEGEC), University Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, 34394 Montpellier, France.
² Laboratoire de Biologie Vétérinaire VEBIO, 94110 Arcueil, France.
³ Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, 75012 Paris, France.
⁴ Clinique Vétérinaire Voltaire, 92600 Asnières, France.

Abstract

We tested 144 pet rabbits sampled in France between November 2020 and June 2021 for antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by microsphere immunoassay. We reported the first evidence of a natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in rabbits with a low observed seroprevalence between 0.7% and 1.4%.

Keywords: COVID-19; France; Luminex; SARS-CoV-2; microsphere immunoassay; one health; pet rabbit; rabbits; serology.

Grants and funding

ANR-RA-COVID-19; 115 Geographical and temporal serological investigation of companion animal infection with SARS-116 CoV-2 during the second wave of COVID-19 in France, CoVet/Agence Nationale de la Recherche