Retrospective case study of the impacts of multiple One Health oriented biocontainment research facilities during the...

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic revealed the importance of rapidly identifying and controlling zoonotic diseases and underscored the necessity of coordinating and planning pandemic preparedness with comprehensive one health strategies to prevent and control the emergence and transmission of zoonotic pathogens. The present case study catalogued the scope and range of activities performed by the biocontainment research facilities that ultimately comprised the Research Alliance for Veterinary Science and BSL-3 Biodefense Network (RAV3N) created during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Results revealed that nearly all RAV3N members directly contributed to all aspects of the response against the pandemic, from human diagnostic testing to specialized animal disease models for developing medical countermeasures to investigating the potential for pets and wildlife to serve as potential reservoirs for the SARS-CoV-2. Reflecting their expertise, approximately 80 % of members developed multiple animal models as part of their SARS-CoV-2 research. RAV3N members investigated basic virology, transmission, and host susceptibility in animal models ranging from non-human primates and livestock, to wildlife, arthropods, and mice. Approximately half of member institutions provided SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing services and/or environmental wastewater testing and surveillance to augment limited public health laboratory capacity during the pandemic. State and Federal sources funded and authorized all the reported response activities, however only 40 % of these response activities were coordinated with local public health officials. A major recommendation is to improve direct communication and pandemic response planning between the veterinary science and zoonotic disease and human public health communities. RAV3N provides a model for sharing information and coordinating response activities between veterinary science and public health officials in future disease outbreaks.