Hicago: The US government said on Friday it had confirmed the first case of Covid-19 in deer, expanding a list of known animals positively tested this disease.
The US Department of Agriculture reports SARS-COV-2 infection, a virus that causes Covid-19, on a wild white tail deer in the state of Ohio, according to a statement.
There are no deer reports that show symptoms of infection, the word USDA.
“We don’t know how deer are exposed to SARS-COV-2,” said USDA spokesman Lyndsay Cole wrote in an email to Reuters.
“Maybe they are exposed through people, the environment, other deer, or other animal species.” The USDA previously reported Covid-19 in animals including dogs, cats, tigers, lions, snow, beaver, gorillas and feathers.
Worldwide, most animal infections are reported in species that have close contact with someone with Covid-19, according to agency.
The USDA reported last month that the white tail deer population in Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania were exposed to SARS-COV-2, based on studies that analyzed serum samples from deer free to disease.
Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine collects samples from infected deer in Ohio from January to March as part of an ongoing study, the USDA said.
The sample was considered positive for Covid-19 in university tests, and these cases were confirmed at the USDA National Animal Service Laboratory, according to the statement.