Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, caused respiratory disease outbreaks with increased mortality in 4 mink farms in the Netherlands. The most striking postmortem finding was an acute interstitial pneumonia, which was found in nearly all examined mink that died at the peak of the outbreaks. Acute alveolar damage was a consistent histopathological finding in mink that died with pneumonia. SARS-CoV-2 infections were confirmed by detection of viral RNA in throat swabs and by immunohistochemical detection of viral antigen in nasal conchae, trachea, and lung. Clinically, the outbreaks lasted for about 4 weeks but some animals were still polymerase chain reaction–positive for SARS-CoV-2 in throat swabs after clinical signs had disappeared. This is the first report of the clinical and pathological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in mink farms.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 653-657 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Veterinary Pathology |
Volume | 57 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 14 Jul 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was commissioned and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.