Scientists from the University of Arizona have reported the first case of the SARS-CoV-2 virus being transmitted from a lion to a human in a zoo setting. Results are presented in the preprint database medRxiv and is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The unnamed lion was infected with SARS-CoV-2 at the Indiana Zoo in December 2021. The animal was about 20 years old, which is considered old age for lions. Due to severe symptoms (shortness of breath and cough), she was euthanized three days after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. The two zookeepers became infected with a genetically identical strain of the virus while not coming into contact with sick people.
Researchers suspect that the lion caught SARS-CoV-2 from an asymptomatic zookeeper. In September and October 2021, the lion received two doses of a non-human COVID-19 vaccine.
The lion suffered from kidney disease and spinal degeneration, so he had to be hand fed. This greatly increased the likelihood that the keepers were infected from the lion before they developed symptoms. In general, the risk of transmission from animals in zoos to humans is very low. Researchers said this is the first confirmed case of coronavirus transmitted from an animal in a zoo to humans.
Previous studies have shown that domestic cats and dogs are very likely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 from their owners. The virus is especially dangerous for cats that have the same virus receptors as humans, which means they can become seriously ill or even die from the disease, New Scientist reports.
The first animal to be infected was a tiger from a New York zoo in April 2021. Later, in zoos, gorillas, snow leopards, hippos, hyenas and giraffes became infected with SARS-CoV-2.