Scientists have discovered a new, highly mutated version of the coronavirus, similar to the Omicron variant, in a population of white-tailed deer in Canada.
Researchers also found possible evidence of the first known deer-to-human transmission of COVID-19, according to a new study.
The study involved a team of scientists who analyzed nasal swabs and tissue samples from 300 deer that were killed in southwestern Ontario, Canada from November 1 to December 31, 2021.
Testing revealed that 17 of the deer were positive for a "new and highly divergent lineage of SARS-CoV-2," the virus that causes COVID-19. A lineage is a group of closely related viruses with a common ancestor, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study found the lineage has a close genetic link to a strain that came from samples taken from humans and mink in Michigan two years ago, which suggests the lineage may have been evolving undetected in animals since late 2020, USA Today reported.
The study also found that the lineage, which has 76 mutations compared to the original version of the virus, was linked to a human case from the same geographic region and sampling period. The patient tested positive after coming into close contact with deer, the study noted.
Previous research suggests that humans have repeatedly introduced the virus to deer, but up until now there has been no evidence that the animals are passing it back to humans, The New York Times reported.
The study, which was posted to the preprint service bioRxiv but has not yet been peer-reviewed, suggests that deer can infect humans with COVID-19. The researchers note, however, that there is no conclusive proof that the lineage found in the deer population is spreading among people or poses any elevated risk.
"There's certainly no need to panic," Arinjay Banerjee, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan who was not involved in the study, told The Times. "The more hosts you have, the more opportunities the virus has to evolve."
Research shows the coronavirus has been rampantly spreading through the country's free-roaming deer population, which is estimated at around 30 million. A study from Pennsylvania State University showed that one-third of deer sampled in Iowa were positive for COVID-19. Similarly, another study from New York showed that 15% of deer sampled in Staten Island tested positive for the virus.
Scientists stress that ongoing surveillance is necessary in determining how the virus is evolving and spreading between species.
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