Mink, SARS-CoV-2, and the Human-Animal Interface
Authors: Max Maurin
Anthony Levasseur
Pierre-Edouard Fournier
Philippe Colson
Christian Devaux
Oleg Mediannikov
Florence Fenollar
Didier Raoult
Journal: Frontiers in Microbiology (2021)
Discipline: MICROBIOLOGY
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; anthropo-zoonosis; ferret; mink
Affiliations: IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France., IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France., IRD, AP-HM, MEPHI, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France., CNRS, Grenoble INP, CHU Grenoble Alpes, TIMC-IMAG, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.

Abstract:  Mink are small carnivores of the Mustelidae family. The American mink is the most common and was imported to Europe, Asia, and Latin America for breeding, as its fur is very popular. Denmark, the Netherlands, and China are the biggest producers of mink. Mink farms with a high population density in very small areas and a low level of genetic heterogeneity are places conducive to contagion. The mink's receptor for SARS-CoV-2 is very similar to that of humans. Experimental models have shown the susceptibility of the ferret, another mustelid, to become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and to transmit it to other ferrets. On April 23, 2020, for the first time, an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a mink farm was reported in the Netherlands. Since then, COVID-19 has reached numerous mink farms in the Netherlands, Denmark, United States, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, and Canada. Not only do mink become infected from each other, but also they are capable of infecting humans, including with virus variants that have mutated in mink. Human infection with variant mink viruses with spike mutations led to the culling in Denmark of all mink in the country. Several animals can be infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, anthropo-zoonotic outbreaks have only been reported in mink farms. The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 in mink farms raises questions regarding their potential role at the onset of the pandemic and the impact of mutants on viral fitness, contagiousness, pathogenicity, re-infections with different mutants, immunotherapy, and vaccine efficacy. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 **Bibiliography questions** The authors assert that u201cminku2019s receptor for SARS-CoV-2 is very similar to that of humansu201d, but without showing evidence for this. To show that u201cvery large number of species are possibly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2u201d they refer to https: doi.org 10.1016 j.jmii.2020.04.015 which deals about susceptibility to SARS-Cov-2 and disease outcome. Furthermore, they conclude that u201cThis strongly supports the hypothesis that there is not a single intermediate host, but many susceptible speciesu201d by citing https: dx.doi.org 10.3389%2Ffmed.2020.00223 which supposes the role of one single intermediate specie. The authors also suppose that u201cIn Spain and Italy, infected mink farms have been suspected to have played a role in the regional spread of SARS-CoV-2u201d relying on an article which refers to Denmark cases no evidence of this statement is given, neither for Italy, nor for Spain. They also state that u201cDisease problems are those caused by intensive farming practices, marginal nutrition, and poor sanitation u00bb without showing evidence neither for the supposed poor sanitation and marginal nutrition for animals in mink farming, nor for the role of these parameters in what they call u00ab disease problemsu201d. The demonstration is supposed to show minksu2019 u201cpotential role at the onset of the pandemic and the impact of mutants while the first given reported supposed case happened long after the onset of the pandemic and they themselves stand that the first known case was on April 23 2020, which is much later than the onset of the pandemic. **Substance questions** Furthermore, as the authors assert that u201cThe virus appears to evolve at a faster rate in mink than in humansu201d, early infections of mink farming would have led to a high genetic diversity, while the onset of the pandemic was due to as single virus strain, as we can see it on https: nextstrain.org ncov global ![file] We can also refer to Trevor Bedfordu2019s thread on twitter on April 22nd 2020 : ![file] He also illustrated it in an online presentation on January 26th 2020 we can find here https: neherlab.org 202006_KITP.html# 11 ![file] **Conclusion** This does not support the authors hypothesis of the onset of the pandemic through mink farming. Trevor Bedford already gave this conclusion in the same presentation https: neherlab.org 202006_KITP.html# 12: ![file] ,