SARS-CoV-2 Spillback in Opossums, Southern Brazil

This study focuses on monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in free-living animals in the Vale dos Sinos region, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, aiming to verify the presence of this emerging virus using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique. Rectal and oral swab samples were collected from 52 white-eared opossums (Didelphis albiventris) and submitted to metagenomics and subsequently directed SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing. Five positive samples were found to originate from these animals' contact with human waste or contaminated water bodies, indicating the spillover of SARS-CoV-2 to D. albiventris.