Meeting notes from the OIE ad-hoc group on Covid-19 and the human-animal interface on 31st March are attached in pdf below.
Among the salient points:
1. In the USA, a research institute is planning on doing experimental
infection studies in brown bats (which have a long range) to address
the research question, "If humans introduce SARS-CoV-2 infections into
brown bats, could they become a reservoir?"
2. The OIE project "EBO-SURSY" is proposing to test 3000 samples
already collected from bats for haemorrhagic fever virus surveillance
in West Africa for the presence of coronavirus to assess whether
precursor viruses to SARS-CoV-2 have been circulating.
3. In China, animals from fur farms (including mink, foxes, raccoon
dogs) have been tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. So far all have been
negative.
Among the salient points:
1. In the USA, a research institute is planning on doing experimental
infection studies in brown bats (which have a long range) to address
the research question, "If humans introduce SARS-CoV-2 infections into
brown bats, could they become a reservoir?"
2. The OIE project "EBO-SURSY" is proposing to test 3000 samples
already collected from bats for haemorrhagic fever virus surveillance
in West Africa for the presence of coronavirus to assess whether
precursor viruses to SARS-CoV-2 have been circulating.
3. In China, animals from fur farms (including mink, foxes, raccoon
dogs) have been tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. So far all have been
negative.