Do you know the virus that infects us can infect animals as well? Well, most viruses can and the recently discovered novel coronavirus is no different. They apparently can infect whales. Marine Biologist Liz Allen, sheds light on this in her recent article published in Forbes.
let’s take a look at how does it affect the whale.
Coronavirus Effect
With the ongoing global health crisis, ‘coronavirus’ has recently become a household name. But the coronavirus causing the current outbreak is just one of a whole family of coronaviruses, some of which can infect marine mammals, writes Liz
Like in humans, infection with coronavirus may make harbor seals and beluga whales sick, too. However, the strains, or types, of coronaviruses that make marine mammals sick differ from those that make us sick.
Nonetheless, the symptoms of infection in these marine mammals can be similar to those experienced by people who come down with coronavirus.
Coronavirus Symptoms
The first coronavirus to reach international attention was SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which caused a global outbreak in 2003. The SARS virus causes flu-like symptoms including coughing, chills, and fever. Similarly, the recently-named coronavirus, COVID-19, that first broke out in Wuhan, China in late 2019 reportedly causes fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
Photo of people in Hong Kong, China, riding the subway during the SARS outbreak. SARS is another … [+]
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Do marine mammals have these same symptoms? Well, it depends.
The Disease in Marine Animals
In June 2000, twenty-one harbor seals were found dead on the beaches of Point Reyes near San Francisco, California. Mystified by the sudden death of so many harbor seals, scientists sought to understand what killed these animals.
From the washed-up seals, some of which were only recently deceased, scientists worked to figure out a cause of death.
It was clear that some type of infection was likely as all of the seals had grossly abnormal lungs, with some showing clear signs of pneumonia. Ultimately three viruses were isolated from these seals, including a coronavirus.
Harbor seals resting in a protected cove in Northern California. In 2000, over twenty harbor seals … [+]
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It is still not known if the coronavirus, or one of the other viruses identified, caused the mass die-off of these harbor seals, or if instead these viruses were merely ‘taking advantage’ of seals that were already sick with something else yet to be discovered.
Fortunately, though, whatever caused the mortality event has not proven to be a threat to the species, which is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as of ‘least concern’.
Liver Damage in Coronavirus Infected Whales
Meanwhile, beluga whales infected with coronavirus show signs of severe liver damage. Like with the harbor seals, though, it is not yet known if the coronavirus directly caused the liver damage, or if the virus simply happened to be present in the sick belugas.
Virus in Dolphins But Not Affected
Interestingly, coronaviruses have also been discovered in samples from bottlenose dolphins, yet none of these dolphins showed any signs of being unwell.
A bottlenose dolphin, tursiops truncatus. Coronaviruses have been discovered in samples from … [+]
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Outbreaks in Animals Normal
While the coronaviruses found in these marine mammals are different from the types of coronaviruses known to infect humans, some coronaviruses can infect both humans and other mammals. For example, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus that spread around the world beginning in 2012 is believed to have been passed to humans from camels. In fact, an estimated 75% of human infectious diseases originate in other animals, likely including the current coronavirus, COVID-19.
Given that can animals function as ‘reservoirs’ of infectious diseases like coronaviruses, outbreaks of such diseases are expected to continue in both marine mammals and humans, although they need not all be severe.
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Source: Forbes
