Denmark will sacrifice millions of minks for coronavirus 1:21
(CNN Spanish) -
Mink and the coronavirus, that is a news that we recently read from Denmark, when the prime minister of that country announced that the entire population of that species would be euthanized.
Why is there a link between the disease and the animal?
In this episode, Dr. Elmer Huerta examines the Danish allegations, what scientists are saying, and why a possible mutation due to minks could pose a danger to the vaccine.
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform, or read the transcript below.
Denmark's minks and the coronavirus
Hello, I am Dr. Elmer Huerta and this is your daily dose of information about the new coronavirus, information that we hope will be useful to take care of your health and that of your family.
The news broke in the first week of November, when the prime minister of Denmark announced that the entire mink population of that country - up to 17 million animals - would be euthanized.
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The vague explanation given by the Prime Minister, and later by the Health Minister of that country, was that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, had undergone a certain mutation in mink.
It prevented an adequate response from the human defense system, and it could be a global threat because it could interfere with the efficacy of a future vaccine.
Today we will put this news in context.
Although we must start by saying that the scientific community is extremely frustrated by what they describe as a lack of transparency from the Danish authorities, who have given absolutely no scientific information in this regard.
Covid-19 cases in mink
First, let's remember that the mink is a small mammal, and the center of an industry that uses its fur to make luxury garments and produces oil for the cosmetics industry.
The most active countries in this industry are China, Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands, the United States and Spain.
It is also important to know that minks and their relatives, ferrets, are easily infected with viruses and bacteria.
So they are widely used as experimental animals in laboratories.
The fact is that on April 23 and 25, the first outbreaks of infection with the new coronavirus were reported in mink from two hatcheries in the Netherlands.
Minks that would have been infected by their breeders.
By June, the infection had already spread to farms in Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark.
And in August, the infection reached the United States, forcing the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of minks in those countries.
As we mentioned before, the news causes concern the first week of November, when the Danish government orders the slaughter of 17 million minks, its entire population of these animals.
Most worryingly, the mink SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected humans, with at least 214 cases documented in Denmark.
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Spanish authorities ordered nearly 100,000 minks to be euthanized after an outbreak on a farm, where the animals are raised to wear their fur, after several of them tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Minks are added to the list of animals that have tested positive for covid-19, the disease that has infected more than 13 million in the world and has left more than half a million deaths.
See in this gallery other animals that have tested positive for the virus and what we know about these infections.
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On April 22, two cats in New York were reported to be infected with the new coronavirus, federal officials announced.
Both had mild respiratory symptoms.
They were the first pets in the U.S. to test positive, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Archive image.
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Tigers: also in April the first case of a covid-19 positive tiger was reported.
It was about a tiger at the Bronx Zoo, New York.
Later, seven other big cats were infected, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
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This pug named Winston may have been the first dog in the United States to test positive for coronavirus, according to researchers.
The dog was tested as part of a study involving his family, who had had the disease.
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Ferrets can also get it.
One study found that ferrets were also "efficient" replicators of the virus, meaning that the virus can easily grow and reproduce on their long, slippery bodies.
"SARS-CoV-2 can replicate in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets for up to eight days, without causing serious illness or death," the study said.
The study did not consider a longer time frame.
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Archive image.
2 dogs in Hong Kong and a cat in Belgium also tested positive in April, but the American Veterinary Medical Association gave a piece of reassurance on its website: "Infectious Disease Experts and Various International and National Human and Animal Health Organizations agree that there is no evidence at this time indicating that pets transmit COVID-19 to other animals, including people. "
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Pets may not infect people with coronavirus, but pet owners should protect cats, dogs and other companion animals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned. .
“Although it does not appear that animals can give you the virus, it seems that you can infect them.
So if you are sick, avoid direct contact with your pets.
If possible, have someone else take care of them until you are healthy again, ”says the FDA in a video.
Is there a scientific basis?
That led to the UK on November 7 banning Danish citizens from entering the country.
In addition, British citizens returning to the UK will be required to quarantine for 14 days, with no exceptions.
Given the seriousness of the situation and the enormous magnitude of the decisions being made, what is the scientific truth about the mutations that the new coronavirus has undergone in mink?
In an interview with the BBC, Dr. Emma Hodcroft, from the University of Basel, in Switzerland, exposes the concern and frustration of the scientific community at the lack of specific information on the type of mutation that has occurred in mink .
First of all, says Dr. Hodcroft, all information comes from a Danish government press release.
Which only says that, because there is a mutation in the virus, all these animals must be sacrificed.
Apparently, says Dr. Hodcroft, mutations have been documented in the portion that the new coronavirus uses to enter cells and arouse immunity.
As we explained in the May 22 episode, this is called a spike, a protein, the chain of which is made up of approximately 1,300 amino acids.
The covid-19 mutation and vaccines
Obviously, a mutation in that part of the viral structure, also called antigenic, would jeopardize the effectiveness of the vaccines that are being developed to neutralize the virus.
Dr. Hodcroft also says that, although it is true that this information is worrying, it is necessary to wait for more research because many times, what is seen in the laboratory is difficult to be extrapolated to human beings.
In sum, at this time there are no scientific details about the significance of these new coronavirus mutations in mink.
What is known is that human beings can infect minks, minks infect each other, and that these in turn are capable of infecting human beings.
This is very worrying because it is in this exchange that mutations can occur that can endanger the effectiveness of vaccines and - as we explained in the October 5 episode - the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies that are being developed to treat infection.
On the other hand, if minks were able to infect other animals, they would be creating large animal reservoirs of the virus, which would make it extremely difficult to control the virus.
We will be attentive to give you more information.
Do you have questions about the coronavirus?
Send me your questions on Twitter, we will try to answer them in our next episodes.
You can find me at @DrHuerta.
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Thanks for your attention.
If you have any questions you can send them to Dr. Elmer Huerta via Twitter. You can also head over to CNNE.com/coronaviruspodcast for all episodes of our “Coronavirus: Reality vs. Reality” podcast. fiction".
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