The discovery of the first case of infection by the corona virus in a wild mink

The first known case of coronavirus was reported in wild mink, prompting calls for widespread surveillance of wildlife.

In an alert to the International Society for Infectious Diseases, U.S. veterinary authorities said a wild mink test tested positive for an infected mink farm in Utah.

Farmed mink are known to be susceptible to the virus, with cases reported on fur farms in Europe and the United States.

Millions of mink have been executed.
    • What is the science behind mink and the corona virus?
    Mutated coronavirus can 'jump back and forth'

    • Denmark has been shaken by the execution of millions of mink.
This is the first known discovery of the Coronavirus (Sars-Co-V2), in a "free wild mink", said Dr Dan Horton, a veterinary expert at the University of Oversk, raising fears of a spread of infection among wild mink. Surrey, UK.

But he said there was currently no evidence of transmission from mink to mink off farms.

He said: "The viral strain found in wild mink was identical to the strain found in captive mink at the nearby mink farm, and no other animal has so far tested positive despite surveillance efforts around. infected farms in several parts of the United States. "

He added that the case "reinforces the need for surveillance and vigilance of wildlife."
Mink is known to have escaped from mink farms and established itself in the wild.

Dr Horton said that in the UK a group of mink that escaped fur farms many years ago is believed to exist, but they are sparsely distributed and rarely come into contact with humans.