A new study from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service shows some white-tailed deer populations in Michigan have been exposed to the coronavirus.
Antibodies for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, were identified in 33% of 481 samples collected from 4 different states — including Michigan.
APHIS Wildlife Services gathered samples from 32 counties throughout Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Percentage that tested positive for antibodies by state:
- Illinois: 7%
- Michigan 67%
- New York: 19%
- Pennsylvania: 31%
Dr. Thomas DeLiberto is one of the lead scientists on the study. He says the results they found could lead to a larger-scale research.
“We did an opportunistic sampling. What that means is we cannot take those percentages and interpret those as the prevalence of disease or even the prevalence of antibodies across an area.”
Scientists obtained samples by taking blood from deer populations during wildlife management activities.
DeLiberto said his team wanted to determine what the exposure to the virus was in the deer's natural habitat. But, the animals may not have been affected by it.
“None of the deer populations we looked at showed any sign of clinical illness associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
DeLiberto and his team are working closely with federal and state partners to determine the next steps to take, and answers to questions raised.
Those questions include:
- To what extent are white-tailed deer being exposed to this virus?
- How are deer becoming exposed?
- Is the virus circulating in wild white-tailed deer?
- Are deer transmitting the virus to other species or domestic animals?
- Are we seeing variants emerge, and if so, what are the implications of those variants for deer, other animals and humans?
For more information, see the USDA's Questions and Answers: Results of Study on SARS-CoV-2 in White-Tailed Deer.
McKoy's story is brought to you as part of a partnership between WKAR and Michigan State University's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.