Investigating SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility in Animal Species: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Zoonotic Disease Research
• Comparative Pathology

Background:

• Early SARS-CoV-2 pandemic response necessitated rapid identification of susceptible animal species under conditions of high uncertainty.
• Understanding potential animal reservoirs and hosts was critical for pandemic control and One Health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of animal species evaluated for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility.
• To identify and categorize the methods used for assessing susceptibility.
• To compare susceptibility evaluations across different studies and sources.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search using PRISMA-ScR methodology, including peer-reviewed and gray literature.
• Data extraction and categorization from 97 sources investigating 649 animal species across eight classes.
• Analysis of four primary evaluation methods: in silico, in vitro, in vivo, and epidemiological analysis.

Main Results:

• A broad range of animal species (649) across eight classes were investigated for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility.
• Diverse methods were employed, with in silico approaches initially dominating predictive assessments.
• Significant variation in the definition and evaluation of susceptibility was observed, leading to conflicting findings between studies.

Conclusions:

• Early pandemic research relied heavily on in silico and in vitro methods for initial susceptibility screening.
• In vivo and epidemiological data are crucial for validating initial findings, highlighting the limitations of predictive methods.
• Ongoing re-evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility across animal species is essential as more comprehensive data becomes available.