Scientists at University College London have named animals that can become infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and be its carriers. The new scientific work is reported in an article published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The researchers studied how the spike protein (S-protein) interacts with the human ACE2 receptor, as well as its analogs, in 215 animals. ACE2 in different living organisms differ from each other in amino acid substitutions, which can reduce the stability of the bond between the viral protein and the host protein. It turned out that in 26 animals, including great apes, proteins bind as strongly as in humans.
Most birds, fish, and reptiles do not appear to be at risk of infection, but many of the mammals examined have the potential to become infected, including domestic cats, dogs, minks, lions, tigers, and ferrets and macaques. According to scientists, large-scale surveillance of animals is necessary in order to detect outbreaks of the disease at an early stage and prevent further spread of the virus.
