A Review on Transmission of Coronavirus between Humans and Animals: Health Complications and Hazards

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Diagnostic Laboratory Sciences and Technology Research Center, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

2 Center of Comparative and Experimental Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

3 Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

Objective: Coronaviruses (CoVs) infections are among the most common diseases in humans and animals. In this paper, the effects of human-animal host interactions of a new coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) emerged from China were reviewed and possible health complications and hazards were investigated.

Materials and Methods: Electronic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and bioRxiv were searched for possible animal hosts of SARS-CoV-2 from the years 2019 to 2022 by following keywords: coronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-COV-2, animal, and transmission.

Results: Among different animal species, non-human primates, ferrets, hamsters, and felines are the most susceptible animals to SARS-COV-2 infection and some of them have the ability to transmit the virus to humans.

Conclusion: The risk of emerging zoonotic diseases is not far from the mind; hence, the animal populations should be periodically monitored for the possible occurrence and spread of such diseases. It is also recommended to follow hygienic instructions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords