Jeffrey C. Chandler et al.; PNAS November 23, 2021 118 (47) e2114828118

Figure: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Widespread human SARS-CoV-2 infections combined with human–wildlife interactions create the potential for reverse zoonosis from humans to wildlife. We targeted white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for serosurveillance based on evidence these deer have angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors with high affinity for SARS-CoV-2, are permissive to infection, exhibit sustained viral shedding, can transmit to conspecifics, exhibit social behavior, and can be abundant near urban centers. We evaluated 624 prepandemic and postpandemic serum samples from wild deer from four US states for SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Antibodies were detected in 152 samples (40%) from 2021 using a surrogate virus neutralization test. A subset of samples tested with a SARS-CoV-2 virus neutralization test showed high concordance between tests. These data suggest white-tailed deer in the populations assessed have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2.

See: https://www.pnas.org/content/118/47/e2114828118

Figure 1: Boxplot of SARS-CoV-2 serological results for WTD tested with the Genscript cPass sVNT. Boxes outline the interquartile range, which is the range of the middle 50% of values, horizontal bars are medians, and dots are individual sample results.